


jigsaws and pieces we made to fit

by FaultyParagon



Series: Canon-Compliant/Canon-Rooted RWBY Fics [19]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Qrow Branwen, Clover didn't know he was supposed to become dad too, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Family, Family Feels, Found Family, Gay Clover Ebi, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Penny is the unofficial ninth bean, Qrow is a dad and has eight kids, Recovery, Romance, Slow Burn, Team as Family, Uncle Clover, Volume 7 (RWBY), but she's already got a great dad so she'll be fine without drunkle and his bf, fair game, i'm weak for domestic fluff, let me project okay, now everyone's just confused, surrogate parents, uncle Qrow - Freeform, wholesome content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24748414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaultyParagon/pseuds/FaultyParagon
Summary: Clover is not a father, nor does he ever intend to become one. Then, he meets Qrow Branwen, and suddenly he finds himself with eight surrogate children, all with a different name for Qrow- a different bond.What he doesn’t expect to find out is that Qrow never wanted to be a father, either, but now he’s in it too deep.So… Clover’s got eight kids too now. Oops.-aka Clover falls for an oddly loving, domestic, awkward duncle!Qrow and doesn't know how the whole step-dad gig is supposed to work when they're not officially dating or anything. V7 domestic FairGame.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Qrow Branwen, Clover Ebi & Everyone, Clover Ebi & Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc & Qrow Branwen, Qrow Branwen & Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen & Everyone, Qrow Branwen & Lie Ren, Qrow Branwen & Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen & Oscar Pine, Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen & Weiss Schnee, Qrow Branwen & Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Canon-Compliant/Canon-Rooted RWBY Fics [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815229
Comments: 300
Kudos: 460
Collections: fuck roosterteeth all the homies are annoyed with roosterteeth





	1. first piece

**Author's Note:**

> Ignore me while I drop this here. I’ll get back to it, don’t worry. As always, I'm weak for domestic fluff, and as it turns out, FG is a very soothing thing to write during my breaks.
> 
> Leave a comment if you want to see more! I'd love to gauge what the interest in it is.

**first piece**

Atlas Academy was many, many things. It was proud, pristine, prestigious; those who walked its halls and survived its trials were meant to be the cream of the crop, rising above others in any combat situation. To graduate with honours from Atlas Academy meant receiving an integral placement in the Atlesian Military, where one could pay back the Kingdom for the years of care and education with distinguished service. The Academy was the embodiment of a dignified future.

Clover stepped into the communal lounge situated between the guest rooms they had offered their unexpected allies. Despite them having literally crash-landed in Mantle earlier that day, he found something even more surprising, something completely foreign to Atlas Academy awaiting him.

On a normal day, these communal lounges all looked the same. A few couches lined the sides of the walls, with study tables and individual reading booths off to one side next to tall windows. A large holoscreen, available for use before quiet hours and lights out, was embedded in the wall to the right of the door. At the back sat a small fridge, cabinets, and a sink for students who wanted snacks after the mess hall closed for the night. It was normally just a simple little room for students and guest Huntsmen to speak or relax. In reality, they were seldom occupied; it was too easy to lose track of time and break noise violations late at night, so they tended to go unused.

Today, however, every flat surface had a body sprawled across it. Everywhere Clover looked, there was a set of pyjamas, half-dried hair tied up haphazardly, towels slung over shoulders, and sleeping teenagers. He frowned, examining their faces; after a few moments, recognition set in.

These were the Beacon students who had found their way to Atlas, somehow managing to protect the Spring Relic all the way from Beacon. _No wonder their bedrooms were empty._

The blond boy chuckled in his sleep, scratching an exposed belly before his arm fell off the couch upon which he had passed out; a second later, his entire body rolled off and onto the floor. He didn’t get up.

Clover crossed his arms, leaning against the wall by the door, taking in the idle scene in amused surprise. _Some heroes, I guess._ They didn’t exactly look like the ones who had staved off the end of the world by protecting the Spring Relic.

Either way, he hadn’t expected to find them here. In fact, he had needed to actually speak to the younger Schnee, to pass on a message from Winter.

He watched the girl in question mumble in her sleep, her head resting on the tiny brunette’s shoulder. Was there even a point in waking her?

“You’d best be quiet, bud,” a low, gravelly voice warned from behind.

Clover turned, smiling amicably at the man standing at the door. “Qrow, right?”

Qrow Branwen walked inside, arms laden in blankets. Rather than acknowledging Clover properly, he simply plopped the blankets onto a small chair and tossed one to Clover. “Ssh,” he said, holding a finger up to his lips. “Less talking, more tucking in.”

Clover didn’t know whether to laugh or to feel offended at the oblique order. However, as he watched the other Huntsman (probably only a few years older than Clover himself, judging by combination of streaks in his hair and the youth in his face) unfold the blankets and, methodically and silently, lay them onto the sleeping children sprawled on each seat, Clover’s face melted unknowingly into a smile.

There was a tenderness in Qrow’s smile as he tucked a blanket around the younger Schnee girl and the brunette by her side, making sure the girls were warm despite the chill of Atlas. That tenderness didn’t fade as he grabbed another blanket and draped it over the older blonde girl lying across three study chairs in the back of the room. _Ruby and Yang- they’re his nieces,_ Clover recalled from the files he had glanced over earlier.

But even so, that kindness in Qrow’s actions didn’t fade, continuing to tuck in the energetic orange-haired girl and her silent Mistralian companion, along with the Faunus girl curled up in an armchair and the youngest boy passed out on the accompanying ottoman. Clover sighed, glancing down at the blanket in his own hands. There was no point just standing there, gawping at Qrow. So, he knelt down and picked up the tall young man who had fallen onto the floor, placing him back onto the couch and laying the blanket over him.

Finally, all the students were warm and safe underneath thick covers. Qrow sat down on the coffee table in front of the holoscreen, watching them all sleep with a contented grin on his face. Red eyes creased and shimmered despite his exhaustion thanks to the moonlight filtering in through the windows. From where Clover stood, all he could see was a scene so serene, it could’ve been painting; a beautiful silhouette of messy hair, a straight nose, thin lips, a proud chin; strong shoulders and toned arms, long legs crossed almost daintily at the ankle; age and experience and knowledge engrained in every wrinkle, youth and strength clear despite it all.

It was an odd thing to focus on, the warmth exuding from this Huntsmen as he looked at the sleeping faces of a bunch of ragged children. Yet, Clover couldn’t look away. It was hypnotizing.

“You need something, Mr. Ace-Ops?”

Clover gulped. “I had a message for Weiss Schnee from her sister.” Why his voice was trembling, he didn’t know.

Qrow turned his face to look at Clover, eyes half-lidded, smile fading away. “You put my nieces in cuffs. You put weapons on them.” Standing up to his full height, he added, “Gimme the message. I’ll tell Weiss.”

“What- are you their overprotective father?” Clover joked lightly.

He had _not_ been prepared for the sudden look of what could only be called _shame_ which welled up in Qrow’s eyes. “No. I’m not.”

Sensing Qrow’s stubbornness, Clover sighed and pulled out his Scroll. He sent the message to Qrow, having gotten his contact at his earlier debrief with the general. “There you go.”

Qrow nodded, eyes softening before he took his seat once more, focus returning to the sleeping students.

Clover could’ve left right away. Instead, he found himself looking at the affection which had returned to Qrow’s face. He didn’t know much about Qrow Branwen, but every description on-file of an efficient, deadly, intelligent, incredible Huntsman could not compare to the paternal affection, and the silent grief, that described this man before him.

Because despite all the unprofessional, messy, clumsy, vulnerable states he saw in that room… it wasn’t so cold anymore, and Clover hadn’t felt that kind of quiet warmth in Atlas Academy in a long, long time.


	2. ruby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while in the office today, woot woot.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! I'd love to hear from y'all :D

_**ruby** _

Ruby Rose was a lot more capable than Clover had first realized.

Upon first meeting the girl, he had been more than a little surprised to see just how easily James deferred to her opinion. She was naught but a slip of a girl, barely past seventeen with even less experience overall than the other rookies in combat.

Yet, when she looked at Clover resolutely during their briefings, he could also empathize with why James felt so compelled to trust the young woman. There was a fire in her, a quiet power in every movement on the battlefield, every command issued to her team.

She had the potential to grow up into something incredible, Clover was quick to understand. In fact, seeing the fire that burned in those large silver eyes was almost overwhelming whenever he focused on just how much growth Ruby would be able to achieve, as long as she had the right helping hand.

That helping hand was, without a doubt, Qrow Branwen.

Although she was already more than capable in combat, Clover knew that Harriet's words about improving her Semblance had struck a chord with the young woman. However, it seemed that he had sorely underestimated her drive.

It was purely by chance that he found Ruby with Qrow in the dead of night in the training room, the air filled with an Aura so dark and red it looked like falling rose petals. It was thanks to his own curiosity that he stayed, hidden in the shadows.

What intrigued Clover the most, however, was the sight of Qrow's weapon. While he had seen Ruby Rose's scythe during their mission together earlier that day, Qrow's blade- _He called it Harbinger, didn't he? That's morbid,_ Clover thought absently- had been nothing more than that throughout their mission: a blade. Just a regular longsword with a built-in rifle barrel.

And yet, in the otherwise-silent training room, Qrow held in his hand a wicked, curved scythe the likes of which Clover had never seen. It was the kind of blade one could attribute to a reaper, not a mere Huntsman.

Clover shuddered at the thought of Qrow, of his quiet words murmured in the communal lounge that first night. Those words- that silhouette- those _eyes-_

 _He looked so upset when he told me about his Semblance today,_ Clover remembered, guilt stirring in his gut. He shouldn't have told Qrow about his own good fortune, his eternal ally. He shouldn't have; not when the man's own eyes had been filled with nothing but contempt and hurt and frustrated envy afterwards.

And still, Qrow had protected him in those mines.

Qrow Branwen wasn't a mere Huntsman. Clover would probably do well to remember that.

Still, as he leaned on the wall and crossed his arms, watching Ruby tear through the air using her Semblance, the most surprising thing in the whole session was not Qrow's ability to somehow match her blinding speed. It was not the fact that Qrow was easily able to deflect every single blow, dodging and dancing away from every attack, his own blade an arcing sickle of death barely avoided each time by the exhausted young woman; nor was it the fact that he didn't seem to break a sweat doing so.

No, what fascinated Clover the most was how easily Qrow was able to knock her flat onto her ass in the blink of an eye. And then, after every single time the battle surged to a halt due to his offense, Qrow would easily pick her up and point out her mistake, as if he had been analyzing battle footage in slow motion and not fighting against a veritable blur of scythe and rose petals.

As Ruby fell for the umpteenth time, Qrow caught her before she toppled off a raised platform and helped her back to her feet. "Doin' better, kiddo," he cooed warmly, smiling at her weary pout. "Don't gimme that face. Now, what happened there?"

"I attacked too low," she said tiredly.

He shook his head. Clover sucked in a breath as Qrow reached out, absently tucking some of Ruby's hair behind her ear before flicking her on the forehead. The girl pouted and whined, but as Qrow murmured exactly how it had been her foot position upon launching into her Semblance which had caused her to stumble and fall, she straightened up, listening with focus. Qrow laid out exactly how they would try the manoeuvre again; how she would use her scythe's propulsion to add speed to her attack. Everything was so easily framed for the girl to digest.

Clover wanted to whistle in admiration. He had heard that Qrow had originally been a professor in Signal Academy back in Vale, but to think he was _this_ good of a professor was frankly stunning.

Eventually, Ruby collapsed onto her back. "I give up!" she cried, panting in exhaustion. "I'm done."

"Tapping out for the night?" Qrow asked, crouching beside her as he tucked Harbinger away into its holster. She nodded, holding out a hand. Qrow smiled, pulling her up to her feet. He ruffled her hair and said warmly, "Go get some rest, okay? You've got your first missions as a Huntress tomorrow."

Ruby's face lit up like nothing else. "I can't believe I'm an actual Huntress now!" she squealed. Then, she softened, looking up at Qrow with the most earnest smile. "Hey, Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

She squeezed his waist suddenly in a tight hug. Clover winced watching it. "Thank you for being there to watch today." Then, she scooped up her scythe like one would a baby and headed for the door.

Clover quickly stepped outside, ducking around the corner. He didn't know why he hadn't just announced his presence- it wasn't as if they had locked the door or booked the training room for practice, so there was no issue with him having been there.

And yet, it felt like Clover had borne witness to something he didn't have a real right to see. The intimacy between Qrow and Ruby had been startlingly sweet; although he had seen the elder treat the kids with affection that first night, it was a completely different thing to see it reciprocated.

"Any reason you were quiet in there?"

Clover jumped, coughing clumsily to cover his surprise as Qrow raised a brow, leaning against the wall. He hadn't heard the Huntsman approaching. "I didn't want to interrupt is all," he lied. _More like I didn't know how to._ "I admire her strength- training right after a mission like ours today takes dedication."

"The kid's got nothing else if not dedication," Qrow mused.

Clover frowned as the man reached into his coat pocket, froze, then pulled his hand out, biting his lip guiltily as if caught in a lie. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Qrow replied, flashing Clover a quick smile.

Clover didn't believe it. That smile looked more like a grimace to him.

Before the other Huntsman could sink too far into his own thoughts, Clover relaxed, gesturing towards the practice room. "I heard you used to be a professor. Based on that lesson, I bet you were great at it. May I ask why you stopped teaching?"

That question seemed to genuinely disarm Qrow, the man staring at him in shock before rueful laughter spilled from his lips, growing until it shook his shoulders.

Clover gulped. The sound of Qrow's throaty laughter was oddly soothing.

Finally, Qrow looked up, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's been so long since I worked as a teacher, I'd almost forgotten about it," he said fondly. "I had to go, though." Bright crimson eyes looked like watery crescents, his smile shaving years off his face. It was almost jarring, just how different he looked from the man Clover had worked alongside in the mines earlier that day. Qrow looked _free._

"Why's that?"

To his surprise, Qrow sent him a teasing wink, much like Clover had done to Qrow earlier. "I was breaking too many hearts. Staff and students- no one could concentrate anymore."

Clover snorted. "Oh really, now?"

Before Qrow could answer, Ruby suddenly appeared in another flash of pseudo-petals. "Uncle Qrow, I forgot-" The girl jumped slightly when she saw Clover. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I'm interrupting something?"

"Relax, kiddo," Qrow murmured, waving Ruby over. "What is it?"

Her doubtful, embarrassed expression quickly faded as she turned back to Qrow. "I just wanted to ask- did you take pictures of the ceremony earlier?"

Qrow's smile softened. "I did."

Her eyes widened like tiny moons, silvery and excited. "Can you-"

"Already sent them to Tai on my Scroll just in case it gets through, and I'm getting them printed out to send with snail mail tomorrow," Qrow filled in. Ruby launched herself at the man, and Qrow just laughed along, patting her back affectionately.

Clover took it all in, a sense of conflicted affection rising up within him as well as he took in the sweet scene. The sheer, unadulterated emotion that Ruby displayed with Qrow was something that one didn't see every day in Atlas.

But then again, a lot of things about the situation was unusual for Clover- after all, he couldn't remember ever looking at another Huntsman and wondering what it would be like to be held so closely, too. But there he was, and Qrow Branwen's loving smile branded itself into his mind that night.


	3. weiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duncle strikes again. Let me know what you think!
> 
> (also I recently wrote two (1.5) FG oneshots so if you're interested in those, check them out!)

**_weiss_ **

****When Clover had first heard that Winter Schnee’s younger sister who had fled Atlas a few months earlier was part of the crew who had snuck into Atlesian airspace so clumsily, he hadn’t expected much. While Winter herself was more than capable, the very thought of interacting with other Schnees left a sour taste in his mouth.

So, to see young Weiss Schnee turn out to be not only capable, but a good person as well, Clover had been relieved. He didn’t mind assigning the young woman to any mission; he knew she would be able to handle it, based on her combat prowess and adaptability.

Yet, there was something eating her up inside, taking away from her spirit even if it didn’t affect her performance. It didn’t take a genius to be able to tell what was going on, either; every single time someone even _breathed_ the Schnee Dust Company name, she flinched. It had gotten especially bad after meeting Jacques following their first group Geist extermination. Weiss had never been as comfortable since.

He debated on bringing it up with Winter, but they had never been close. Who was he to inquire about their family’s inner workings? So, he went to the next person he could think of- at least, he wanted to. While they had indeed gone on a few missions together already, it had barely been two weeks since their arrival in Mantle, and Qrow had never truly been warm to him after learning about his Semblance-

Aside from that one night in the training room.

 _But wasn’t that because Ruby was there?_ Because if there was one thing to know about Qrow Branwen, it was that he _adored_ his nieces. Perhaps the older man hadn’t even wanted to be kind to him at all. There was no way to know, with Qrow being the epitome of professional on all of their missions thus far.

And why would Qrow like him at all, after finding out that Clover’s Semblance was everything Qrow clearly wished he had always had?

_I shouldn’t have told him._

But the past was the past, so all Clover could do was look at his mistakes in glorious hindsight.

Clover had to wonder why he fixated on that night in the training room so much. Oftentimes when he was working late into the night, he found himself wondering if he should drop by again, just to see if they were training. _It’s to check Ruby’s progress,_ he told himself.

It wasn’t.

Still, Weiss’ visceral reactions to hearing about her father or the SDC continued, and eventually Clover decided it was enough. He would just have to suck it up and deal with the bed he’d made.

But when he finally mentioned Weiss’ negative reactions to the Schnee name, Qrow was surprisingly grateful for it. “I’ll check in with her,” he promised solemnly, pulling out his Scroll right away. “Ruby will know how to find her.”

“Do you know what it might be?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Qrow muttered, his expression darkening, mouth twisted into a sour grimace, “maybe it’s that she’s recently seen her father who imprisoned her for months at a time against her will?”

Clover raised a brow. He had heard little about the circumstances behind Weiss running away. “Was it _that bad-_ “

“Look, pal,” Qrow cut him off. “I don’t know what Jacques and Jimmy and your little reports have told you, but I had to hear that kid cry to my nieces _so many times_ on the way here. She’s been through some shit. I believe her.” And with that, Qrow left Clover behind, leaving him grasping for words and for understanding and for closure which all felt too out of his reach. _I messed up again. It’s the Semblance incident all over again._

When Clover- who had taken a memoir he had been reading recently to a small rooftop nook where he liked to read on clear nights- overheard familiar voices, he couldn’t deny that it was probably his luck which had brought him to the scene of the conversation that had been trapped in his mind all day. Weiss and Ruby were bickering about something lightheartedly, and Qrow was throwing in a few jabs here and there. Clover missed the intro of the conversation- something about the stars, which led to Dust and Semblances, which led to weapons maintenance and studying more under Dr. Polendina. Weiss kept insisting that if Ruby touched her sword she would toss Ruby’s “meddling ass all the way back to Lake Matsu”.

If nothing else, it was an entertaining conversation to listen in on. They didn’t notice Clover seated on the ground, leaning against a wall in the corner of the rooftop, a thermos of tea by his side. He had a prime view, despite that realization feeling strangely voyeuristic.

Although he debated on alerting them of his presence, or just going back inside, he decided in the end to stay. He was genuinely worried about Weiss. And he was equally curious about how Qrow would go about this ‘check-in’.

He didn’t need to wait long. “You know,” Qrow announced suddenly, “as long as we’re clearing the air-“

“Uncle Qrow, you better not threaten to send me back to Anima too-“

“-I’m not employed by Atlas, technically. So I am under no political order that stops me from saying some… unpopular opinions.”

Weiss scoffed, “Like?”

“Like: I don’t like Jacques Schnee.”

Clover choked on his tea while Ruby cackled, clinging to Qrow’s arm happily. Weiss, on the other hand, just watched Qrow, wary and wide-eyed.

The elder Huntsman didn’t care, happily continuing, “In fact, I’d be happy to kick his ass if he did anything unsavory to any little _ice queens-“_

“ _Hey!_ ” Weiss cried in disbelief.

Qrow shrugged, the picture of innocence. “What, I’m talking about your sister!” Looking over to Ruby, he stage-whispered, “Isn’t _this_ one’s nickname ‘snow angel’ or some garbage-“

Weiss’ face was almost as red as Ruby’s hair, and Clover had to bite down on his lip to keep himself from howling at the sheer outrage in her face. The pale young woman huffed and pouted, crossing her arms angrily and getting ready to storm away.

Before she could drag Ruby with her, however, Qrow’s teasing fell away and he said sincerely, “But actually, kid, if you need me to beat anyone up- let me know.”

“I can fight my own battles, thank you,” Weiss muttered hotly.

“Yeah, you can,” he agreed instantly. “But someone’s gotta pay bail, and since you’re still technically underage it’s probably gotta be a guardian, right? I don’t think Winter’s got enough money for that. Military pay is _not great._ ”

Clover wished he could’ve been closer to see their reactions up-close to those words, because from where he sat, the way the look of confusion shifted into one of understanding to overwhelmed gratitude was _beautiful._

Ruby grinned and grabbed Weiss’ hand. “C’mon, Weiss,” she cooed, twining their fingers together. “Yang said she downloaded the new update on her Scroll. Let’s go play!” After a few quiet protests of, “But I’m not _good_ at that game,” the two young women disappeared around the corner.

Once they were gone, Qrow called, “Y’know, I’m going to start thinking you’re up to something, Clover. People normally don’t just watch me talk to a bunch of kids.”

Clover sighed, standing up and strolling over to Qrow, holding up his long-forgotten book. “I’ll have you know I come out here to read. _You’re_ the ones who interrupted _me._ ”

Qrow didn’t seem upset. Nonchalantly, he asked, “We blamin’ your Semblance or mine?”

“Mine.” The reply didn’t even need to be pondered. “I’m happy I saw that. The famous Qrow Branwen, threatening to attack Jacques Schnee-“

“Oh my _god,_ ” Qrow groaned, lips curving upward. “Okay, no, it was _my_ Semblance. I swear, you’d better not rat me out to James-“

As he spoke, Clover realized it; Qrow had brought up their Semblances again for the first time.

 _…maybe he doesn’t mind it, after all._ “Or, the famous Qrow Branwen, being a bit more of a softie than he’d like to admit?”

“Shh,” Qrow hissed, but his smile was playful, red eyes twinkling mischievously. The sight caused Clover’s heart to leap into his throat, all words dying as Qrow grinned, sharp canines exposed as he added, “You can’t say nice shit like that. I can’t have Winter thinking I’ve softened up.”

Clover blinked at him, confused. “Um, why would Winter-“

Qrow waved his hand vaguely around. “You and all your security footage,” he griped. “If she finds out, what’ll she do- be nice to me? We can’t have that; James already isn’t fun anymore.”

The sheer inanity of it all brought a bark of a laugh bubbling past Clover’s lips. He had heard tales of Winter and Qrow’s pre-Fall pseudo-rivalry, although he hadn’t seen it come into play during their time together thus far. “You’re a strange one, Qrow. You don’t need to pretend- we all know you’re a good guy.”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “Shut up.” He wasn’t upset, Clover knew.

But after their laughter died down, Clover still had a genuine, curious question. It had lingered on his mind for days, although he found that he wasn’t sure whether he really wanted the answer to it.

Eventually, he broke their amicable silence and murmured, “So why’d you help her like that?” _She shouldn’t mean anything to you._

Qrow hummed. Clover smiled unconsciously at the sight of Qrow contemplating his words, clearly trying to answer him honestly. After a few moments of thoughtful reflection, the elder said, “We… we don’t choose where we come from. What ties are associated with our names and our families.” His eyes darkened, bitter and unhappy memories twisting his expression painfully as he leaned forward onto the low fence surrounding the rooftop.

Clover nodded, leaning forward on the railing beside him. “We’ve all got hangups,” he agreed quietly.

“I like her, because no matter how much she denies it, she’s good to Ruby. And Yang likes her, too, and she’s just grown to be a good kid.” Qrow’s eyes softened again as he looked into the distance, smile widening. “I respect her for taking care of her teammates, and for taking her fate into her own hands. It’s more than what most of us can do.”

“You’ve thought about it a lot, huh?”

Qrow chuckled, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Clover held his breath, watching the moonlight reflect off of his pale skin. The other man really was beautiful.

Qrow said, “She deserves a fighting chance to be more than just a Schnee.”

The words were weighted, heavy. Real. Filled with conviction. _He’s not just talking about Weiss,_ Clover realized distantly, making a quiet note to ask James for details on what Qrow might be referring to.

Still, the kindness in his gesture was clear. “Thank you for believing in her.” The words were out of his mouth before he could think twice.

The wry, wistful smile that Qrow gave him made his heart ache in his chest. A part of Clover wondered whether he himself could make Qrow smile like that one day; it made him wonder why he’d want to, too.


	4. blake

_**blake** _

There were so many lingering questions left in Clover’s thoughts as he made his way back to his quarters that night, and those questions refused to subside in their endless needling until he addressed them. So, one evening when all of his work was completed and Qrow was nowhere to be found, Clover took the solitude as a chance to do a little bit of research.

Qrow’s comments about ‘choosing family’ led him down a rabbit hole he had never expected to unearth. As Clover skimmed through numerous archives in Atlesian systems, the mentions of the Branwen Tribe began to grow in frequency. A bandit tribe, one article vaguely mentioned. A few images left of a massacre in a rural town were included in a completely different article. List after list of posters showing faces and names and more money as potential prizes for capture- usually dead more than alive- than Clover could’ve ever expected. The list of crimes committed by the nomadic tribe which posed more of a threat to the citizens of Anima’s forests than the Grimm only grew the further he went along his search.

Eventually, all Clover could do was turn off his holoscreen and lean back into his chair, too much information swirling around in his brain. Qrow came from a bandit tribe? What was a bandit doing as a Huntsman? What was a killer doing as a protector of the people?

Qrow’s quiet, bitter shame from that night finally made sense.

Perhaps that was why Qrow was so open to accepting Weiss, Clover realized. According to all the articles he had found, the Branwen Tribe had grown less powerful over the last twenty years- since Qrow had become a Huntsman. Qrow, more than anyone else, must understand how difficult it was to be irrevocably linked by name and blood to something sinister.

Those thoughts swam around in Clover’s mind long after turning in for the night. He couldn’t help it; the mystery of how Qrow had found his way to Beacon Academy rather than turning to banditry was a story so tantalizing that he couldn’t stop thinking about it. However, asking about it felt out of the question. Qrow’s murmured words of support towards Weiss and her plight had made it clear that he would rather leave those memories behind, and Clover wasn’t going to dredge up anything he didn’t need to.

Still, when the Ace Ops and Qrow were working their next mission- one that had them cross paths with Jacques Schnee, of all people- Clover didn’t exactly reprimand Qrow when the elder man rolled his eyes and quipped back impatiently at the SDC CEO.

Jacques’ face flashed with disgruntled annoyance, his sneer quickly turning even sourer as Clover watched the exchange impassively. “Aren’t these _your_ dogs?” he barked, glaring at Clover. “Get these soldiers to watch their tongues.”

 _If Qrow ever wants to actually fight him, I’ll let him,_ Clover wanted to growl in response, silently promising himself to ensure that Weiss never had to speak to her father unless it was absolutely necessary.

Then, before Clover’s very eyes, Jacques’ gaze locked onto something behind him. Thin, icy blue eyes narrowed further. “Ah. I see they really _are_ your dogs.”

Instantly, Clover stepped to the side- stepped in front of Marrow. He could practically feel all of Marrow’s usual vibrancy deflate into nothing behind him. Jacques Schnee’s distaste for the Faunus was not exactly a secret in Atlas, no matter how much his councilman campaign said otherwise. Clover could sit back and let politics play out on their own, but he would not allow someone to mock one of the Ace Ops.

To his surprise, however, there was another body who had immediately joined his in blocking Jacques’ view of Marrow. Qrow’s face was drawn into a taut grimace, hand just a few inches away from his blade, eyes burning with a disgust so apparent it was a miracle that Jacques didn’t report it to James right away.

After that incident, however, Qrow’s focus on Marrow didn’t seem to fade. One day turned into a week which turned into a habit of Qrow checking in with the young canine Faunus, asking him how his day was going, talking about his missions, and discussing his life outside of the Ace Ops. Marrow, all eagerness and bright eyes and wagging tail that he was, was more than happy to soak in any kind of attention he received. Clover caught the young man excitedly scurrying up to Qrow more often than Clover’s heart could take.

However, as one week turned into two, a tiny seed of doubt began to grow in Clover’s mind. Qrow was nothing if not professional with the young man, but one derogatory comment from Jacques Schnee didn’t warrant this much attention, right?

“How do you feel about Marrow?” The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Qrow did a double take, bewilderment clear as day.

Immediately, Clover sighed, glancing out into the distance. Their patrol of Mantle’s wall was left just to the two of them, the rest of his teammates off on their own missions for the day. Clover had been stewing on Qrow and Marrow all morning though, ever since he saw Qrow hand Marrow the last cookie that had been sitting by the coffee in the briefing room. It had been such a simple, innocuous act; yet, Clover couldn’t get that nagging feeling off his chest.

For a moment, Qrow didn’t respond, simply focused on processing the many layers of Clover’s hesitation. Finally, it clicked, and the groan of absolute disbelief that Qrow let out was probably enough to travel all the way to Marrow as he helped with the physical testing of some upper-year students back in the Academy.

Qrow hunched over, unfurling his weapon in one fluid motion and taking a moment to fire a shot from Harbinger into the horizon. Clover blinked, unsure of what he was doing- but then, the telltale drift of black acrid smoke rising up into the distant sky explained it all. Straightening up again, Qrow glanced up at Clover, crimson eyes rolling up in abject disappointment. “You’re _not_ hinting that I’m _into_ the kid, right?”

“Of course not!” _Of course I am,_ his traitorous mind replied, embarrassed beyond all sense of reason. _Why else are you coddling him?_

Qrow rolled his eyes, slung Harbinger up onto his shoulder and continuing strolling down the wall, muttering about idiots and misunderstandings and “Honestly, does he really think I have no standards-“ and “The brat’s a _brat, brothers-_ “

And Clover was left wishing he could fall into a hole and hide, focusing his efforts instead on getting ready to fight a small pack of Creeps running at the wall.

That weekend, however, it all clicked.

They were eating dinner at the same time as Team RWBY, although the girls were sitting across the mess hall with some of their friends from Atlas Academy. Clover recognized these students; they worked hard, always utilizing training rooms and honing their skills. He could respect that drive.

However, one of the students on that team was a Faunus girl. The feline student was standing up, yelling at a few leering boys at another table- within moments, instructors were there, sorting out the conflict. They were too far away to properly hear the source of the issue, but Clover could guess what it was, a sinking feeling dragging his gut down as the girl’s cat tail flicked back and forth impatiently. _Jacques Schnee isn’t the only part of the problem._ Atlas itself was a huge part of that problem. Wasn’t that why Marrow’s acceptance into the Ace Ops was so key?

Then, his eyes fell onto Team RWBY. Ruby, Yang and Weiss were all torn between arguing with the Atlesian students and hovering protectively in front of Blake, the latter remaining quietly seated and continuing to eat her dinner without raising her eyes. It was clear how Blake was feeling, though. Her own feline ears were pressed flat dejectedly against her head, and the look of sheer heartbreak and frustration on Yang’s face as she looked back and forth between Blake’s expression and the teachers attempting to diffuse the situation struck even a pang of sympathy in Clover.

Qrow watched the debacle unfold somberly as well, brows creased in worry. Seeing the concern in his eyes, Clover murmured, “Blake’s got people to take care of her, you know.”

The elder sighed, cutting into meatloaf lethargically. “They shouldn’t _need_ to,” Qrow muttered.

Clover softened, watching thoughtfully as Qrow took an annoyed bite of his food, pouting as he turned to watch the debacle play out. “Marrow’s got people, too,” he added.

“I know. Doesn’t change the fact that I worry anyways about them all.”

But the amount of care in Qrow’s eyes as he watched Team RWBY settle back into their seats and continue eating did nothing but warm Clover’s heart, filling him with such strong conviction that he could scarcely focus on anything else. “Thanks for looking out for my men.”

“Thanks for looking out for the kids,” Qrow replied instantly, a hint of a smile returning to his weary expression.

And the next day, when their morning briefing began, Clover made sure to say hello to Blake and to Marrow intentionally. Apparently, being ambivalent to Faunus treatment wasn’t enough, and Clover could start by ensuring that no one in his briefings felt uncomfortable. It was an easy enough thing to do- after all, he didn’t know much about Blake, other than the fact that she usually clung to Yang whenever she could. Marrow was self-sufficient at the end of the day as well. He didn’t need to coddle them, nor give them any concessions.

But their startled looks of surprise, melting into equally pleasant smiles and greetings in return, told him that it was a good start. And, judging by Qrow’s teasing wink to Clover as he brought over a tray of sweet bread he had nicked from the mess hall for his nieces, Qrow seemed to approve, too.


	5. yang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! Also, I have another FG modern AU coming out soon, so stay tuned for that :D it'll be a fun little ride XD

_**yang** _

The back of a transport ship heading down to Mantle for daily missions was hardly the place to squabble. However, when Yang found out that Ruby and Qrow tended to train in the evenings, the young woman was surprisingly upset. “Is that where you’ve been going each night?!” she cried, pouting and crossing her arms angrily. “I was wondering where you went all the time!”

“I’m just with Uncle Qrow, sheesh!” Ruby responded, clearly annoyed that this was being made an issue. “What’s wrong with that?”

Clover watched the entire spectacle play out from the corner of his eye, trying to keep the smile off his face. He wasn’t a sentimental person, but even he had to admit that watching the two young women bicker like that was sweet. After all, little petty squabbles were the stuff of peaceful times. If they could fight like this, then he was doing his job right.

It didn’t hurt that Qrow was watching the whole thing was the most doting expression on his face that Clover had ever seen.

Clover was so focused on watching Qrow’s reactions that he almost missed Ruby crying out, “Well, why don’t you just train with someone? Like… I dunno, Blake?”

“Blake keeps napping during the day already,” Yang groaned. “I can’t ask her to come with me! She’ll never stay awake through missions!”

“Oh, then,” Ruby muttered, glancing around quickly, “ask Clover if he’ll come!”

Clover blinked, immediately tuned back into the conversation. Ruby was pointing at him, with Yang staring deadpan. “May I help you?” he said as neutrally as possible.

To his surprise, Qrow’s soft smile twisted into the most devilish grin, eyes glinting mischievously. “He’s got a similar build to Tai. Why not fight him, firecracker?” Qrow winked at him from over the girls’ shoulders, out of their view. “If he’ll let you.”

It took all of his efforts to keep his head cool- to keep his blush at bay. It still felt a little surreal to see Qrow so open with him.

_He’s flirting._

Clover shut the thought away. Where had it even come from? He wasn’t expecting Qrow to flirt with him. They were just being friendly as coworkers and peers, and Qrow was just starting to be more relaxed with him. Right?

…right?

A tap on the shoulder brought him back to the present. Ruby was looking at him worriedly, having approached him while he daydreamed. “Clover, are you okay?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yang, if you want to spar, I’d be happy to help,” he said before he could think about it.

Harriet made a strangled noise from the front seat as Yang cheerfully said, “Thanks, Clover! I’ll see you at the training room with Ruby and Qrow then!”

Clover hummed absently, too focused on Harriet’s reaction. When he glanced up to look at her, she was watching him over her shoulder, disbelief clear as day on her face. He frowned, gesturing for her to turn around and focus on the flight. She scowled, but obliged, turning her focus back to piloting the craft.

Still, her surprise stuck with him even as his mission commenced. _Why was it such a shock?_ He asked himself that, but the answer was fairly obvious- how quick had he been in the past to shut down Harriet and Marrow’s individual attempts to get Clover to train with the Ace Ops? And yet, here he was, willing to give his time up to rookies who rarely worked with him.

Maybe something was wrong with him. He hadn’t felt like himself lately.

Still, a promise was a promise. That evening, after all of his paperwork and reports were finished and he was finally released from duty until the next morning’s briefings, Clover found himself walking back to the training rooms rather than to his own quarters. As expected, Yang and Ruby were already inside, the two young woman sparring clumsily. At least, Ruby was clumsy; Yang seemed to be having a blast dodging every attack from her younger sister as Ruby fought not with her scythe, but with her hands.

“You want to learn hand-to-hand combat?” Clover murmured as he approached the duo.

Ruby nodded, barely able to catch her breath. She hunched over, gripping her knees and focusing on her breathing as Yang chirped, “She’s been training since we were in Haven, just in case she has to fight without Crescent Rose.”

Clover whistled appreciatively, smiling despite his own fatigue. “That’s good. Always be prepared for anything.”

“Ya hear that, Ruby? You better get back to training hand-to-hand once I’m done with you,” Qrow’s voice rang through the training room from behind Clover, low and sultry and teasing as always.

The two girls reacted instantly, waving at their uncle with happy smiles on their faces. Ruby limped over to retrieve her scythe while Yang approached Clover, completely at ease with Qrow’s presence.

Clover, however, was decidedly _not_ at ease. How could he be? His own calm smile almost crumpled as Qrow walked up to him, placing a hand on Clover’s shoulder and squeezing. Qrow’s low voice rumbled into Clover’s ear, his breath tickling Clover’s skin, raising gooseflesh as he murmured, “Go easy on the little firecracker, okay? She isn’t used to your luck.” Then, the man walked away, calling to Ruby brightly.

Clover had no idea how he managed to calm down his racing heartbeat by the time Yang was standing properly in front of him. Her long blonde hair was tied back; she flicked that ponytail over her shoulder as she said, “Clover, are you ready to fight?”

“Always,” he lied smoothly, settling into a defensive stance. His heart was crashing in his ears, and as Yang came at him with her fists raised and her teeth bared in a vicious grin, Clover felt like he was moving through molasses, his body leaving his mind behind. After all, his eyes were solely focused upon the blur of steel scythes- a silver cross hung against surprisingly-frail collarbones- ringed fingers clutching a red handle- crimson eyes flashing knowingly-

Occasionally, he was able to bring his attention back to the matter at hand- back to his own opponent. He was able to stop the girl and provide her feedback; to his surprise, she took in everything he said like a sponge, putting it all into practice by the end of the evening.

How he didn’t die under Yang’s assault, he didn’t know. How the girl didn’t realize just how scattered he felt was an even greater mystery- after sparring with her for almost an hour, the girl pushed back sweat-streaked bangs and grinned. “This was awesome, Clover. Thanks!”

Clover smiled back as amicably as he could, nodding. “Of course. Always happy to help a fellow.”

Ruby and Qrow were finishing up their bout as well, the Huntsman ruffling Ruby’s hair despite her protests. “You’ve improved, kiddo. Keep this up and you’ll finish honing your Semblance in no time.”

His niece could only beam up at him as she jogged over to Yang. “We should go to bed now,” Ruby yawned, stretching her thin arms high above her head. “We’ll see you for the briefing!”

As Ruby dragged her away, Yang looked over her shoulder at Clover and called, “See you tomorrow here, Clover!”

Clover blinked at the dust left behind the two speedy young women. _See me… tomorrow?_

His questions were answered and Qrow loped over, an easygoing grin on his face. “That’s it,” he laughed, “you’ve been roped in for life.”

“Does she really expect me to be back here?”

Qrow’s eyes narrowed. “Probably. Is that a problem?”

To Clover’s own surprise, he shook his head. “…No. I can make it work.” The way Qrow beamed at him was enough to shake him to the core.

And so, near-daily training sessions began to take place in the training room every evening. There were more than a few days where Clover thought of not going; all it would take was a quick call to Yang and she wouldn’t have to waste her time showing up. And yet, he never followed through with that plan, always finding himself back with Kingfisher drawn, ready to fight.

He wanted to say that it wasn’t for any reason in particular other than that he liked helping Ruby and Yang train. He wanted to say that it was purely to help their allies develop, since the girls were often training with the Ace Ops during the day. Clover told himself he was just doing the best he could to help the girls. They were sweet, after all; he found himself growing genuinely fond of them over time, and Yang was a hilarious individual to get to train with. He found that over time, he grew fonder of her, eventually taking the initiative to speak to her during briefings. It was oddly touching to see just how brightly her eyes shone whenever he spoke to her first.

As the days turned into weeks of this routine, however, Clover liked to conveniently ignore the fact that the happiest he ever felt was whenever the girls had left and he and Qrow were all that remained. The warmth in Qrow’s eyes as Clover said goodnight to the elder’s nieces was enough to seize Clover’s heart, gripping tight and never letting go.

 _I should go see a medical officer,_ Clover thought distantly as Qrow’s touch on his back- innocent, friendly, nothing more than coworkers- made him want to combust. _I should get this checked out._

He never went to get it checked out, though. So, he simply accepted the fact that something was wrong with his heart, he had a good sparring partner, and Qrow Branwen was finally warming up to him in a way that Clover had never truly expected.


	6. ren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished off [The F Word](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24976354) today, and now there's another Fair Game AU up: [Bite Me, Pretty Boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25217998). Check it out if you want some silly AU himbo vampire shenanigans!

_**ren** _

Lie Ren was unlike all of the others, Clover found. There was a sense of camaraderie to be found with the young man; he was quiet, reserved, meditative. At times, going on missions with Ren was almost like having a younger version of Vine by his side. Clover found that he quite liked the silence, as compared to the usual chatter of the other rookies.

Qrow, however, was not as comfortable with Ren. The signs were subtle at first; Qrow would miss a beat when Ren asked a question, or his face would cloud over with something uncomfortably close to guilt before turning to face the young man. Clover watched it all from a distance, unsure of what to make of it. It was clear that there was some history between them, but how could Clover possibly help?

After all, was it Clover’s place to truly interfere? He knew that Qrow cared about Ren; that much had been made abundantly clear ever since that first night in Atlas, when Qrow had taken the time to tuck Ren under a blanket with such love and affection that Clover still felt frazzled by it all. Yet, there was this unspoken tension between the two, a quiet turmoil that manifested as a cloud hanging over their heads whenever they were alone together.

At first, Clover refused to breach the subject. It wasn’t exactly his place to know, nor did it affect him as long as Qrow and Ren were able to work together on missions. And, as professional as the two men were, Clover had nothing to worry about on that front. However, as time passed and his near-daily sparring sessions with Yang, Ruby and Qrow continued on, Clover began to feel far more at ease with the man.

At least, when his heart wasn’t threatening to jump out of his chest the moment Qrow looked his way.

But if nothing else, Atlas Academy had taught Clover how to hide his heart away, his face a perfect mask of neutrality and his smile as politically inoffensive as ever. It was all a mind game in Atlas; he loved his kingdom, and he loved his people, but he hated the games they played. Now, however, those games were serving him well, and Clover found himself able to interact with Qrow as if nothing strange was going on at all.

So when Qrow let out a long, weary sigh after Ren left the room upon the completion of a joint mission, Clover was able to calm down his racing heart and cool his heated cheeks, murmuring, “Did something happen between you two?”

Qrow’s face lifted, confusion quickly morphing into what could only be called shame. “Not exactly,” he replied, wearing an amicable smile that was nothing like the pain radiating through Qrow’s eyes. “What, did you expect me to treat everyone like Yang and Ruby?”

Before he could stop himself, Clover shrugged. “It looks like you _want_ to.”

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say, for Qrow’s face fell, absolutely stricken. In a heartbeat, Qrow stood, clumsily striding out of the room; shoulders hunched and head cast downwards, it was clear that the man no longer wanted to engage.

Guilt haunted Clover all evening for that errant comment, only intensifying when Qrow didn’t show up to the training room that night.

The next day, the mission was a patrol of Mantle’s wall- routine, easy, and perfect for two people. Qrow and Clover went together, as their Semblances aligned, making it safer for Qrow to work alongside others. James insisted on Qrow working with someone, after all, and despite his ongoing heart palpitations in the presence of the elder, Clover genuinely enjoyed being with Qrow, too.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped yesterday,” he said quietly a few minutes after beginning their patrol. Qrow hadn’t said a word all day; it was high time Clover gave it a shot.

To his surprise, Qrow replied, “It’s… it’s alright. I just needed to time think it through.”

Clover smiled, praying that Qrow could see the sincerity behind his air of professionalism. “Take all the time you need. No need to share if you don’t want to.”

The smile Qrow gave him was, as usual, enough to send Clover swooning over the crumbling moon and back. He didn’t have time to dally, however, as a pack of Sabyrs clawing at the base of the wall caught their attention. Gesturing to the gnashing teeth and claws below, he pulled out Kingfisher and grinned. “You ready?”

Harbinger was in Qrow’s hands before Clover could even blink. “After you, boy scout,” he replied.

Clover immediately turned and leapt off the wall, not out of enthusiasm to strike first, but to avoid showing the elder just how much that little nickname affected him, his cheeks burning against the frigid Mantle air.

Once the skies were full of nothing but acrid smoke and dissipating Grimm, the duo climbed their way back atop the wall and continued their patrol. Clover was feeling far more at ease after the fight; combat was always a good way to soothe his nerves. There was nothing in a battle other than instinct and skill, and he certainly didn’t have to worry about offending any handsome Huntsmen while he fought.

Clover froze. _‘Handsome Huntsmen’? What am I-_

Qrow’s voice, quiet and unsure, pulled him out of his thoughts. “I dunno how much the kids have told you about Team JNPR, but…” The man ran his fingers through his hair, bitterness and heartache visible in every crease and wrinkle on his face. “Ren and Nora and Jaune- I don’t think they’ll ever really forgive me, or Oz, or anyone. Probably not even James, too.”

That was news to Clover, certainly. “Forgive you for what?”

Qrow shot him a strained grin. “You know the name Pyrrha Nikos?”

Immediately, the pieces locked into place for Clover. James had filled the Ace Ops in on what they had attempted to do in Beacon with the former Fall Maiden, Amber; Pyrrha Nikos had been her intended replacement. “I wondered who their fourth member was,” Clover said. “Oscar is a bit too young for all this.”

“Yeah,” Qrow breathed. “I was there with Jimmy and Glynda and Oz when we offered the role of Maiden to Pyrrha. The girl took it, and that-“ he paused, clenching his jaw for a moment, “-that’s why she died in the Fall.”

Clover sighed, brows furrowed in sympathy. He reached out and grabbed Qrow’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “You did what you thought was right,” he said. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Hurting those kids was never my intention,” Qrow said tightly. He let out a shuddering breath and picked up the pace, lengthening his strides. “C’mon. We’ve got a wall to cover.”

Clover trotted after him, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Qrow was holding back a lot more on the topic. It wasn’t his place to pry, though.

Yet, when he found himself a few days later sitting alone with Ren in an airship on the way back up from Mantle, Clover couldn’t stop himself from murmuring, “I heard about your teammate.”

Ren froze, slowly lifting his gaze. There was a rigidity in his eyes, a tough defense that the boy put up. His hands were clenched tightly, resting upon his knees, and his back had straightened up the moment Clover had begun to speak.

Clover knew it was just a ruse. Ren looked two breaths away from shattering.

With a gentle smile, Clover added, “Your teammate would’ve been proud to see you here, you know. You’re keeping your team level. That’s something commendable.”

There was only a sharp intake of breath and the faintest widening of Ren’s eyes before the young man looked away, keeping his gaze concentrated on his shoes. Clover smiled uncomfortably- should he reach out? Show the young man support? But how? He wasn’t comfortable with Ren like he was with Ruby and Yang, having barely spent any time alone with the younger. What was he to do?

Yet, it seemed that his few clumsy words managed to reach Ren’s heart. Later that evening, Clover received a message from Ren, asking him to drop by the common area in the guest barracks. The message had arrived right at the end of their usual training session, so when Clover joined Qrow for the journey back to his wing, Qrow needled the reasons for the company out of the younger. A flash of discomfort crossed Qrow’s face when he realized that it was Ren who had sent the invitation, but the man insisted on coming along nonetheless.

To their surprise, what awaited them in the common space was a giant tray covered in pancakes. The rest of the rookies were eating happily- well, as happily as they could at a time, whilst one person rotated out the duty of holding Nora back from eating everything in one go- while some movie played on the holoscreen. It was a rowdy, rambunctious affair, one which Clover had not been expecting in the slightest.

Ren was nowhere to be seen, however. After a little searching, Clover found him tucked in by the sink around the corner, a small apron tied around his waist while he slaved over a skillet set on a hot plate. “You know,” Clover teased, “open heat sources like that aren’t _technically_ allowed in the barracks.”

Wordlessly, Ren placed the pancake currently on the skillet onto a small plate to his left where a stack had already been built. Then, he lifted up the whole plate to Clover. “It’s for you,” he murmured.

Clover took the plate after but a moment’s hesitation. “Are you always the pancake master?” he laughed lightly.

Ren smiled back, his face relaxing more than Clover had ever seen before. Despite all of his usual sage taciturnity, the young man couldn’t look farther from Vine in that moment, all bright eyes and embarrassed, wry grins. “It’s been a while since I’ve done it, but… for my team? Always.”

He took the plate and a fork with a smile, leaving the boy to cook in peace. Clover could only lean against the wall at the back of the room, behind the couches where the kids sat eating. When Qrow came over to join him with a fork and a question, Clover blushed, held out his plate, and silently thanked the kids for having dimmed the lights in favour of watching their film. Qrow wouldn’t see his automatic flush at their proximity.

“I dunno what you said to him,” Qrow whispered, the weight of his words hanging heavy and clear, “but thanks, Clover.”

“Anytime.” To avoid speaking, he quickly took another bite of their pancakes.

As he ate, Clover made a mental note to go praise Ren again later. The food was delicious; the pride and gratitude which shone in Qrow’s crimson eyes, even sweeter.


	7. nora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took multiple days to write, oddly enough. I usually pump out chapters in under an hour. I think this one was hard since I'm just coming off the heels of [What We Call Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20171977) so I'm still thinking of Nora and Qrow's relationship within my own headcanons.

_**nora** _

“You act like you know what we’ve been through. You _don’t.”_

Clover was left behind in the corridor, utterly aghast, a pink skirt and short-cropped orange hair turning the corner before he could blink.

Had that really been Nora?

What had begun as a simple conversation about the situation in Mantle after a mission to clear out Grimm had escalated before Clover could react; he wasn’t able to recognize the anger bubbling up in her voice, the hatred in her eyes, the bitterness in the set of her jaw. She was normally so easygoing that he hadn’t even bothered to pay attention to the signs.

Talking to the young woman was usually such a straightforward affair. She was sunshine personified, a summer day in the hallowed halls of Atlas. Clover would never admit it, but he was genuinely very fond of the girl. She was exhausting, yes, with her boundless energy and constant shouting; but there was a brightness that she brought with her wherever she went. It was strange to think that she had fought on the front lines of the Fall and had still managed to maintain that joy.

And yet, when he commented about how Amity was going to protect the people of Mantle as well, Nora’s words had turned sardonic, biting. He tried to explain their process; he had spent dozens of long, sleepless nights in the briefing room with James and Winter, deliberating on how to best protect everyone on Solitas. Every single point he made was shot down in an instant by her.

“You all think that you’re ‘doing what’s best’,” Nora growled anyways, quickly stomping ahead. “Don’t make me laugh.”

Then, she was gone.

Clover’s first instinct was to call Qrow and ask what to do. He went so far as to open up Qrow’s contact on his Scroll. _Brothers,_ how he hated seeing Qrow’s image appear on the screen. His heart still picked up the pace every single time he thought of the other man.

Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to keep pushing off that doctor’s visit.

However, the moment before he was about to open up a call, he remembered what Qrow had told him about Ren, about Pyrrha, about Jaune and Nora. _Is Qrow also uncomfortable with the other kids?_

He didn’t want to add stress to the other man’s shoulders. Qrow was already struggling to adjust still to Atlesian protocol. So, Clover meandered through the halls until he reached the mess hall, spotting Elm laughing with another Huntress. He quickly joined her at her table, murmuring, “Hey, can I ask you a quick question?”

She was more than open to chat. As he explained what Nora was worried about, however, Elm just threw her head back and laughed. “How would I know what to do?” she chuckled. “The girl’s a bright one, but I don’t think she really understands what our role is here as special operatives.” When Clover frowned, gesturing for her to continue, Elm explained, “We follow our orders, isn’t that right?”

 _Ah. Well._ The woman had a point. Clover would always follow James, all the way to the end. He firmly believed that the general would guide them to victory.

Clover nodded and smiled, leaving Elm and her friend behind as he headed back to his quarters. His mind ran around in circles, and the man barely noticed how his footsteps carried him through the quiet halls. After all, his question still remained: how could he fix whatever had happened between him and Nora?

To his surprise, when he arrived at his door, he had a visitor. Qrow was leaning against the wall, one leg propped up behind him, hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes closed. Clover paused, watching him from a distance; with his long limbs and serene expression, he could’ve been mistaken for a model. Qrow really was too handsome for his own good. _He was probably a heartbreaker back in Beacon._

Clover blushed. What was he thinking?

Before he could calm himself down, Qrow opened his eyes, crimson lighting up. “Hey, you’re back,” he called, waving clumsily. “I know I’d see you in a bit, but-“

“In a bit?” Clover asked, pulling out his Scroll and tapping it against the automatic lock on the door.

As the door clicked open and Clover held it wide for Qrow to enter, the elder said, “In the training room.”

Clover sighed. He had been so wrapped up that he had forgotten about his promised sparring session with the two sister that evening. “For sure, I’ll be there. But what brings you here?”

Qrow ambled awkwardly into Clover’s quarters, the purest definition of a guest who didn’t know where to go. Clover laughed, gesturing towards the small coffee table set up by the large floor-to-ceiling window of his quarters. Being the leader of the Ace Ops promised him a nice view in return for the long hours.

As Clover shut the door, Qrow seemed to relax, taking a seat at the table and waiting for Clover to join him. When he did, however, Qrow’s expression grew serious. “Did something happen on the field today?” he asked somberly. “Nora and Ren were fighting earlier, but I couldn’t figure out what about.”

Clover’s heart sank immediately. He wasn’t able to hide his frustration before Qrow could see it flash across his face, the other man latching onto the expression of guilt in a heartbeat. “I wanted to talk to you about that,” he admitted. “This makes it easier, I guess.”

For a moment, Qrow simply stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Just as Clover was about to explain, Qrow’s face twisted, fury blazing through his bitter snarl as he muttered, “You better not have done something to hurt her, you-“

“I accidentally made her upset when we were discussing Mantle!” Clover cried, panicked. The sudden shift between Qrow’s worry to his pure, unrestrained anger had occurred in a heartbeat. What the hell was Qrow thinking Clover had done?!

Instantly, Qrow calmed down, the man sinking wearily back into his chair. He dragged his hands down his face, embarrassment tinting his cheeks a pale, tantalizing pink. “Brothers, I’m sorry,” he muttered from under his hands.

Clover frowned, leaning forward. “What… what brought that on, Qrow?”

Qrow almost seemed to tremble as he sat up in his seat. “Look, it’s- it’s complicated,” he said. “Nora and Ren are just _gullible_ sometimes, and I’ve overhead them talking to the other kids about what they’ve gone through, and I… I worry.”

Clover’s heart melted, seeing Qrow’s frustration so clearly interlaced with his concern. “Gullible? How so?”

Qrow’s crooked smile held more than just a hint of bitterness within. “They trusted me despite how I’ve hurt them, didn’t they?”

 _Pyrrha Nikos, I presume. Well, I was right. He is still unsure of how to interact with them._ The genuine affection underlying Qrow’s heartache was palpable, though.

When the duo put their heads together, they were unfortunately unable to figure out a way to reach out to Nora. The best way would’ve normally been to speak to Ren, but the boy had apparently left right after his fight with Nora and was currently on an overnight mission with Vine, Marrow and Blake. “Maybe we can find the other rookies before we meet Ruby and Yang,” Clover offered. “They may know what is going on with Nora.” Qrow nodded, and so the duo left Clover’s quarters and made their way to the guest wing.

As they entered the hallway where Team JNPR and Team RWBY were staying, however, Qrow grabbed onto Clover’s arm. Immediately, Clover felt his entire arm heat up, cheeks flushing at the contact. “What is it?” he murmured, turning to face the elder.

To his surprise, Qrow’s face was tinged pink as well, his grin timid and wry. He ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly, avoiding Clover’s eye contact. “Just, ah- just wanted to say thanks.”

“For what?”

“For helping me out. You didn’t have to, and I appreciate it.”

Clover’s heart almost burst through his chest. “Don’t mention it,” he said smoothly, focusing harder on keeping his voice level than on anything else he had ever done in his life. “I’m happy to help. After all, I made her upset earlier. I should have been more thoughtful.” Before he could stop himself, he also added quietly, “And I… I’d like to be able to help you out, too.”

Qrow blinked owlishly at that last comment, but soon relaxed, his grin so sweet and easygoing that Clover was breathless and heady, carving that rueful smile into his memory forever. “Alright, buddy,” he chuckled, clapping Clover on the shoulder, “let’s see if that good luck of yours really works.”

Clover tapped his brooch, the four-leaf clover glinting under fluorescent light. “I’m sure I’ll make it work,” he teased airily, winking. It felt a little forced, but he could at least pretend that he could maintain his composure.

It seemed to work as Qrow beckoned him along to the rookies’ rooms. However, no one was in their quarters. They didn’t need to look for Nora for long, though- the clanging of pots and pans was audible from outside of the lounge, sending a worried chill down Clover’s spine. “What do you think they’re doing in there?” Clover said.

Qrow shrugged, reaching for the doorknob. “Only one way to find out.”

Inside the communal lounge, Clover could only gawp at the mess of flour on the floor, and the even-messier orange-haired girl who was pouting seated at the center of it all. Jaune was futzing about with a vacuum, attempting to figure out how to start it up. Oscar stood by the side of the room, whisking liquid in a bowl with a tender smile on his face. “Nora, we will have to chill the cake if you want to ice it eventually, but that means we kinda have to _finish_ it,” he said.

“Ugh, I know,” she groaned, climbing back up to her feet, “but this isn’t _fun_ without Ren!”

“What’re you up to?” Qrow hummed, crossing his arms and leaning a shoulder against the wall.

Nora froze as she looked up, finally locking eyes with them. Clover gulped, but maintained his kind expression. When her pale blue gaze landed upon him, the corners of her mouth twisted downwards in the slightest fashion; it was barely imperceptible. Then, she clambered back up to her feet and went back to the mixing bowl on the counter as if they had never said a word, leaving a trail of flour and whatever else they had mixed in there behind her.

Clover grimaced internally. If she had made a big show of seeing them there, then he would’ve known she had calmed down. Clearly, she hadn’t, based on her silence. _What do I do?_

On a whim, he did the first thing he could think of: he silently praised the Brothers above for his sleeveless uniform, then got to opening up the box of baking soda for Nora to scoop.

She glared at him. “What are you two doing here?” she muttered, hostility oozing from every pore.

Clover sighed. “I wanted to apologize,” he said softly.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly went back to the task at hand, taking some baking soda based on the recipe listed upon the holoscreen of her Scroll lying upon the countertop.

He glanced over his shoulder. Qrow had taken over for Oscar in whipping eggs so that the young boy could help Jaune clean. Clover grinned, looking back at Nora. “I shouldn’t have put words into your mouth, or assumed things. That was my fault. I’m sorry. And I appreciate that you have a different perspective. Don’t hesitate to bring those things up to James; we’ve all been cooped up in Atlas for too long.”

She narrowed her eyes, eyeing him suspiciously. “Well that’s certainly a change of heart, mister,” she huffed, scooping sugar into her mixing bowl.

He sighed, leaning against the counter. He wasn’t going to pretend that he would change his mind; she would see through it instantly. So, he deflected. “Are you making a cake?” When she didn’t respond, he smiled. “I heard you and Ren got into an argument earlier. Is it for him?”

She blushed a deep red, now struggling to maintain her scowl. “I, uh… He’s always making stuff for me, so I thought it’d be a good surprise,” she mumbled reluctantly.

Clover laughed lightly, pulling out the parchment paper to line the cake pan sitting upon the counter. “Well, _I_ think he’ll like it,” he said. “You two look good together, you know.”

He wanted to cheer victoriously as Nora stopped her whisking, the girl turning to face him with a wide smile on her face. “Pft, _yeah_ we do!” she cried, but her anger had dissipated in favour of her excitement. “Ren and I are like, _perfect_ for each other!” With renewed vigour, she got back to whisking, only calming down when Oscar begged her to not spill another bowl of the dry onto the floor again.

Qrow handed his bowl of egg whites over to Oscar, but not before proudly showing Clover the stiff peaks he had whipped up. “I’ve still got it,” the elder grinned toothily, a sense of glee in him that Clover hadn’t seen before. _Did Qrow bake in Vale or something?_ The elder’s joy made him want to melt.

Checking his Scroll, he realized that it was almost time to meet Ruby and Yang in the training room, so Clover beckoned Qrow over to the exit. Before he left, however, he turned to Nora and asked, “So how do I get myself a piece of cake when it’s all done?”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if I like you still, Mr. Ace Ops,” she announced boldy, hands on her hips, the dry ingredients falling off her whisk. “But… I suppose you can have one-”

He smiled.

“-if! And only if!” She sucked in a deep breath. “You get me on a long mission with Ren.”

“Alright,” Qrow called, dragging Clover away, “that’s it kiddo, we don’t need any of this content here-“

Nora cried, panicked “But wait-“

“Nope!” Qrow said over his shoulder. “None of this not-safe-for-work nonsense on my account, you are a _child,_ and don’t you forget it!”

Jaune and Oscar looked like they wanted to curl up into a ball and die while Nora complained, but the three of them all had smiles on their faces. Clover laughed the entire way to the training room, with Qrow giggling fondly by his side. And when Ruby and Yang asked what their smiles were all about and why they had so much ‘dust’ on their hands, the two men laughed heartily yet again.

Despite everything going on in the world, with that little slice of domesticity, Clover felt at peace.


	8. oscar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent the last few days finishing up my Penny-centric and my Mercury-centric fics. I also managed to get a FG oneshot ([shimmer and shine, strawberry blonde boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25326847)) up, and I started a new FG fic today: [Save the Last Dance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430089). Check those out if you're interested!
> 
> Let me know what you think :D

_**oscar** _

Clover didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when he stumbled upon Qrow and Oscar standing surreptitiously in the hallway outside of James’ office, he couldn’t stop himself from pausing in his approach and watching the two interact. Qrow had likely been going to speak to James about something, and Oscar spent much of his time with James whenever he was not with Team RWBY and Team JNPR- Clover understood his desire to help his friends, but the battlefield was no place for a child, whether they harboured the reincarnation of an immortal protector of the world or not- so seeing Oscar around James’ office provided little by way of surprise to Clover.

Witnessing the sheer discomfort between the two, however, was a revelation.

The tension between Qrow and the young man was so thick he could have sliced into it with Kingfisher, the air hanging heavy over both of their heads as they quietly spoke. Clover silently padded forward, trying to hear what was going on between the two. He had never seen the two of them alone together, true, but whenever they were with the rest of the rookies, Clover had never spotted any kind of disagreement between them. _Did they get into an argument?_

Strangely enough, when he finally fell within earshot, the conversation was nothing like he had expected. “How’ve, uh… how’ve you been feeling?” Qrow asked clumsily.

Oscar looked downwards at his boots, gripping onto one arm so tightly that his tan skin grew pale at the knuckles. “I’m doing well,” Oscar replied, his hesitation clear as day. “I’ve been training with General Ironwood.”

“Jimmy’s treating you well?”

“Yeah.”

“…any word from Oz?”

“…no.”

“Alright.” Qrow ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a world-weary sigh. “You let me know if you need anything, okay?”

That eased Oscar’s insecurities just a little bit, a small, nervous smile on his face. “Thanks. I’ll let you know.” And with that, Oscar walked into James’ office, leaving Qrow outside to smile as uncomfortably and as long as possible until the door closed behind the young man, after which Qrow let out a heaving, long exhale, his shoulders slumping over.

“What’s going on?” Clover called, stepping forward at last. “You okay?”

Clover stopped in his tracks as his voice caused Qrow to perk up, the weariness on the elder’s face immediately softening into wry affection. “I’m fine,” Qrow replied, clearly lying through his teeth. “Why?”

Clover cleared his throat, kick-starting his breathing once more as he shook off the spell which Qrow had so easily cast onto him with that smile. “That didn’t look like ‘nothing’,” he mused aloud, joining the man at the bottom of the steps in front of James’ office. “Did you and Oscar get into a fight?”

“No. It’s really nothing.” With furrowed brows and a small wave, Qrow added, “Anyways, I’ll see you tonight. Ruby got another upgrade to her scythe from Pietro, so stay tuned.”

“Can’t wait,” Clover murmured back, watching the elder lope away with worried eyes. Something was going on, and he didn’t know what it was, but he was going to find out.

He knocked on James’ door; he had come there in the first place to finish up a quick oral report about Amity. When James called him in, he had to reign in his surprise; James and Oscar were engaged in a game of chess, the duo sitting by the window behind James’ desk and overlooking the stellar view provided by Atlas Academy. Clover stood at ease in the center of the room and reported his findings calmly, keeping his eyes fixated upon the horizon outside the window. It helped him keep his gaze off of Oscar, off of asking the young man a million and one questions about his clear discomfort with Qrow.

“I’ve been teaching Oscar to play lately,” James explained once Clover’s report was finalized, beckoning the operative over to join them by the window. “I think Oz is awake somewhere in there; he’s got to be getting help from somewhere!”

Oscar laughed, embarrassment tinting his cheeks and the tip of his nose. “No, I still don’t hear him,” he chuckled. “I guess your teaching has been really easy to follow.”

James smiled, all gentle, quiet joy. “I appreciate that, Oscar.” Turning to Clover, he added, “You should play him sometime, Clover. He’ll surprise you.”

“I’d be happy to,” Clover said. “That is, if the budding grandmaster is alright with that.”

Oscar’s little strangled squeak of flustered protest made him laugh.

It was an innocent promise, nothing more than a passing comment that eased some of the tension in Oscar’s face. He wasn’t a bad kid by any means, and Clover didn’t want Oscar to feel uncomfortable with him- especially if Clover wanted to find out what was going on between Oscar and Qrow to fuel such tense exchanges of such banal conversation.

So, with that little promise made, Clover found himself passing time a few days later while waiting for the general to return to his office by playing a game with Oscar. The boy wasn’t that good, Clover quickly realized; he was starting to pick up some good strategy, but he was a long ways away from being able to best Clover in regards to long-haul tactics. “Do you like chess?” he asked to fill the empty air while surveying the board.

Oscar pouted slightly. “It’s alright, I guess,” he said, all non-committal boredom. “The general seems to really like it, though, and I know Oz did, too.”

Clover smiled, finally moving his bishop three spaces across the board. “I wasn’t asking about them, I was asking about you. Why not just admit that you’d be rather playing video games with the others?”

Oscar blushed truly at that, but there was a strangely worried hint of regret in his eyes. “I’m not very good at those either,” he admitted. “I grew up on a farm. I didn’t actually even see much of… well, anything technology-related until Ozpin woke up in my head.”

Clover paused, taking a moment to let that sink in. “You just… woke up, and Ozpin was there?”

With a rueful smile, the boy nodded, moving a pawn a step to open up a path for his queen. “It was kinda terrifying,” he giggled. “It took quite a while to get used to it. I thought I had gone crazy.”

“That’s a pretty fair thought if you randomly started hearing a man’s voice in your mind.”

“Yeah.” Oscar let out a long, weary sigh. “It’s weird to have him quiet all the time now.”

“I bet.” Taking one of the boy’s pawns, Clover murmured, “Does Ozpin have anything to do with why you and Qrow are fighting?”

Immediately, Oscar froze, eyes wide and fearful. “You… you know?” he breathed.

Clover held up his hands to prove his innocence. “I don’t know details, but I know something’s going on. Talk to me, kid. What is it?” When Oscar merely frowned, distrusting, Clover added, “I saw your conversation a few days ago outside of this office. It didn’t exactly look like the easiest talk, and that kind of friction isn’t good on any team.”

Oscar slumped over, drawing his legs up to hug his knees, his heels gripping the edge of his seat. Quietly, he said, “Ozpin… said something that really hurt Qrow, and they got into a fight.” Oscar’s lip wobbled slightly. “It was really rough.”

“If it was something Ozpin did, it’s not your fault, Oscar-“

“I know!” he cried. Realizing his outburst, Oscar sank back into his chair, pressing his forehead against his knees. “I know,” he repeated, softer. “I just… I doubt Qrow can ever disassociate me from that… fight.”

 _He thinks that Qrow hates him, too, doesn’t he?_ Clover thought back to the first night he had met the rookies who had crash-landed in Mantle; the fierce protectiveness Qrow had shown for everyone, _including_ Oscar, had been clear as day. What exactly had Ozpin done to Qrow to make Oscar fear building a proper relationship with Qrow, when it was so obvious to Clover that Qrow just wanted the boy to be safe?

Before Clover could ask for more details, his heart wrenching at the sight of the heartbroken boy, the door squeaked open and James entered the room. “Sorry for the delay,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Penny got into a small mess, and-“ When James saw the used chessboard, however, his expression relaxed. “How’s the game going?”

The moment James had entered the room, Oscar’s face had stiffened, a mask of nonchalance fixed in place. Gone was the fearful vulnerability. “Clover’s good!” he called brightly. “Maybe better than you, General.”

James laughed at that comment, and all Clover could do was put on his most unaffected smile and try to bite back his burning curiosity until he left the room.

Qrow was easy to track down, the man playing video games with Ruby and Yang in their lounge. Clover leaned against the doorframe and waved him over, drawing a befuddled look out of the elder. Still, Qrow complied, and soon the two of them had wandered onto an empty balcony on which they could chat.

“I asked Oscar about what happened,” Clover began, leaning against the railing. The wind was brisk, almost cold enough up by the barracks to raise gooseflesh on his bare arms- almost. “He said Ozpin hurt you.”

Qrow paled visibly in front of him, staggering over lightly to the railing. Clover straightened up, alarmed- he hadn’t been expecting such a visceral reaction from the elder as Qrow sighed, gripping onto the railing with white knuckles, the grimace on his face betraying his heartache. Clover didn’t speak. He wanted to, but he wanted to give Qrow time.

Apparently, that had been the right choice. Qrow eventually snapped out of his thoughts thanks to the steadily-increasing wind, shivering as he muttered, “Yeah. He did. I’m… I’m surprised he told you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Clover asked, stepping closer to Qrow and lowering his voice.

Qrow shook his head right away, brows so tightly knit they could’ve been joined. “I- I can’t. It’s too complicated,” he said. “Just… it’s not Oscar’s fault. I know that.”

“ _He_ doesn’t.”

That caught his attention. “What?” Qrow breathed, crimson eyes impossibly large.

Clover thought back to that terrified expression in Oscar’s eyes. “He thinks you hate him, you know. That you’ll always hate him because of what Ozpin did, whatever that may have been.”

Red eyes widened in alarm. “No, I don’t- _brothers,_ ” Qrow groaned, rubbing his hands over his face in exhaustion. “Does he really think that?”

Clover smiled sadly. “Yeah. You’re not that petty, which is why I wanted to see how you’re doing; see your side of things.”

Qrow snorted, running a hand through his hair. “No. I deserve it, after what I-“

“What you?”

“Never mind.”

Suddenly, Clover froze as Qrow placed a hand on Clover’s shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. “I- thanks for telling me, Clover,” he said earnestly. “I think I need to go talk to him. He… without Oz, he probably needs… someone.”

Clover nodded stiffly back, holding his breath, fighting off his panic as his heartrate skyrocketed. The word _me_ had been on Qrow’s tongue- it was obvious. “He was with James,” he said.

“Got it.” And with that, Qrow was gone.

Clover let out a giant sigh the moment the door closed behind Qrow. He hung his arms off the railing, letting his burning forehead rest against cool metal. His entire body felt unnaturally hot, as if he were going to come down with a fever soon. _I need to go see someone about this. I’m losing my mind,_ he groaned internally. _These reactions aren’t normal. Is it something to do with Qrow’s misfortune? Is that why I’m always like this with him?_

Either way, he had to do something soon.

However, he found himself a bit of satisfaction the next morning at the briefing. James, Oscar and Winter were unusual guests, joining everyone for cups of coffee as Clover presented the day’s missions and allocated their staff appropriately. And, as he spoke, he watched as Qrow affectionately tussled Oscar’s hair and the younger pouted, then beamed back at him, the relationship clearly healed a bit after whatever discussion the two had had after Clover’s intervention the night before.

And when Oscar turned that same open, youthful smile towards Clover, he couldn’t help but smile back.


	9. jaune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're looking for my take on the story behind the training videos, check out [Laws of Attraction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20153041).
> 
> Let me know what you think of this fic! It's about to start getting wild soon ;)

_**jaune** _

Clover could easily see how every single one of the rookies had played their part in getting themselves and the Relic to Atlas. What he _didn’t_ understand is how they had also managed to keep Jaune Arc alive throughout the entire affair, too.

“Well, I bet he’s certainly good at his crossing guard job,” Clover murmured wryly as he watched Jaune stumble over the last chair in the front row in the briefing room- again. He did this every single morning, to the point where Clover was actually getting a little worried. The blond’s eyes were perpetually halfway shut, almost spilling coffee on Yang more than once as the blond handed a cup to Marrow and nursed his own cup gingerly. No wonder the mothers of the preschool children in Mantle with whom Jaune worked were fond of him; his clumsiness could be called endearing, if looked at outside the context of the battlefield.

Within that context, though, Clover was still worried.

Clover watched the blond settle into a chair with curious eyes as he leaned upon the edge of a table at the side of the room. While he felt like he had figured out most of the other rookies, the young man was still someone whom he could never truly comprehend. How did someone so clumsy end up being the leader of a team with as much personality as Nora and Ren and the late Pyrrha Nikos?

 _Ozpin must’ve really been an odd fellow,_ he thought, taking another long sip of his coffee. _Putting the one with the least combat experience in charge isn’t exactly the best way to lead a team to victory. It’s more likely to leave the rest of the team floundering, after all._ At least Clover could easily say that Jaune had improved since he had come to Atlas; the group training sessions the rookies underwent with some of Atlas Academy’s best teams were doing him well.

Clover opened his mouth to yawn, only for his eyes to shoot open in surprise as a small croissant entered his mouth unbidden. Biting down, he blinked at Nora as the girl watched him, a mix of amusement and worry etched across her bright face, normally-rosy cheeks wan at the early hour. The young woman joined him and leaned against the table at his side. “Why’re you watching Jaune?” she asked, eyes darting between Clover and the blond curiously.

Clover smiled automatically, pulling the croissant out of his mouth and chewing. It was a little too cold for his taste, but that was nothing a sip of bleak, bitter coffee couldn’t fix. When he was finished, he chuckled at Nora; the young woman was always shockingly perceptive. “You could tell so easily, huh?”

Nora shrugged. “I protect my boys,” she said, a small, rueful grin on her own face.

Snorting, Clover explained, “I was just thinking; he’s improved, but I’ve certainly seen better from Beacon. From the rest of you all.”

She rolled her eyes, exaggerating the movement before fixing him with a deadpan stare. “Look, you should’ve seen him six months ago,” she whispered hotly. “At back at Beacon? Oof, he’s improved a _ton,_ you have no idea.”

“He’s always been your leader though, correct?”

“Yup.” She narrowed her eyes, watching him with mock-suspicion. “What, you got a problem with Team JNPR’s tactical master?”

 _Ah, he’s good at strategy?_ Thinking back to their few group missions, Clover could see that; the blond seemed fairly resourceful, with a good grasp on his own teammates and where to place them in an operation. “No, Nora,” he said, soothing the girl. “It’s fine.”

To his amusement, she shrugged. “I mean, you wouldn’t be wrong. He really wasn’t that good at… Huntsmen stuff,” she chuckled.

It was curious indeed. How had Jaune gotten good enough to stand on his own two feet in combat then? Clover asked the question and took another bite, finishing off the mini-croissant with reluctant gusto.

Nora’s smile faltered, a tinge of sadness washing over her pale blue eyes. She sighed, digging her toe into the ground. “…Pyrrha trains him.”

Clover felt his muscles tense up. Nora wasn’t freezing up the way Ren had, but it was clear that even just saying the name was bittersweet for her. “Your old teammate, right?” To her befuddled look, he added, “Qrow told me. I’m sorry for your loss.”

She flashed him a tiny smile. “Pyrrha was the best. She made these videos for him for winter solstice when we were at Beacon, see- this whole series of training videos. It was actually really amazing.” Smiling tenderly as she watched Jaune chat idly with Ruby, the girl ruffling the blond’s recently-cut hair, Nora said, “And Jaune’s been really good about practicing using them.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if he had help and used those as supplements?” he pondered aloud.

She shook her head immediately. “No. I think he’ll always need just a bit of alone time with Pyrrha. She keeps him grounded, I think. He always goes off to train when he thinks we’re all asleep- oop!” Her hand flew to her mouth, panic flitting across her face. Turning to Clover again, she whispered, “Don’t tell him I told you all that, okay?”

He winked at her. “Secret’s safe with me.”

She grinned embarrassedly then skipped over to Ren, leaning upon his shoulder with an adoring expression. Ren paused in his quiet conversation with Blake to look over to Nora, brushing her hair out of her eyes automatically.

Clover frowned as the boy hesitated, then tapped her nose before turning back to his conversation. What was that for, and why did Nora look like she was about to combust in response?

He didn’t have much more time to ponder, however, as the hour turned and his alarm rang, commencing the briefing.

Two days later, after his training with Ruby and Yang, he found himself growing curious about what Nora had said. Did Jaune really stay up late practicing on his own? _There are much more effective ways to improve,_ he thought, a mix of consternation and concern filling up his heart. _He could just ask us. Where does he train, anyways? The other practice rooms would be off-limits for guests…_

Before he could think too much on it, Clover found his feet padding off in the direction of the rookie’s dorms. Something about the image of Jaune training alone worried him. If he could catch the young man before he went off to wherever he trained, maybe he could-

“Where are you off to, boy scout?” Qrow’s low voice rumbled out gently behind him. Clover froze, watching mutely as Qrow stepped in front of him, his hands tucked into his pockets, the man completely at ease as he examined Clover’s expression. He sent Clover a coy grin, a teasing wink, the actions enough to spike Clover’s heartrate for just a breath. “The officer’s barracks are the other direction.”

For the briefest moment, he wondered whether he should lie. After all, Nora had wanted to keep Jaune’s nightly ritual fairly quiet, hadn’t she?

 _Qrow cares about these kids,_ he immediately scolded himself. _It’s better if he knows._

Beckoning Qrow to follow him, he filled the elder in as they made their way to JNPR’s room. Qrow’s expression fell as Clover spoke; by the time they were properly in front of their destination, Qrow was solely looking at his shoes while Clover knocked.

No one was inside. A quick peek into the lounge showed Nora and Ren, but no Jaune. Silently, Clover nodded at Qrow, and the duo headed outside. Their wandering footsteps were met with nothing but the echoes of their heels digging into perfectly clean tile in every hallway, Clover’s boots leaving a louder cadence with Qrow, the elder dragging his feet slightly.

Finally, they found themselves outside. The forested area along the walkways surrounded the perimeter of the school was usually deserted; it seemed like a good place to get some privacy. Qrow followed behind, now hunched over, all of his coy energy long-since faded away.

Clover didn’t know why the wooded area drew him in, but it ended up being the correct choice to wander through the evergreens. Within a few minutes, they had located their target, the blond standing in a fairly wide clearing with his blade drawn and his Scroll perched upon the low branches of a sapling at the center of it all. The two men stayed hidden in the treeline, watching the action in concern.

Qrow sucked in a harsh breath, but the sound was drowned out by Jaune’s grunts of exertion as he swung his sword in time with the commanding, yet kind voice echoing through the clearing. After every few swings, the voice would giggle and coo, “That’s great, Jaune. You’re doing great.”

Clover peered closer. All he could see was vibrant red and gold upon the screen- he was too far to make out any other detail. Still, he had no doubts as to what was going on; for a few minutes, he contented himself with just watching the video from afar, listening to the clear directions given. The speaker was clearly knowledgeable, providing advice that even Clover found impressive. _Marrow could benefit from watching these,_ he thought distantly. _I thought they would be some amateur content, but they’re well done._

Quietly, he whispered, “Y’know, anyone else finds him and he’s going to get security on him called so quickly…”

He had said the words to brighten the atmosphere, but Qrow wasn’t laughing. “You knew about this?”

“Only for a few days. Nora mentioned it to me.”

A shuddering sob, followed by a long, weary sigh, filled the air. The two men glanced over at Jaune, only to see a fat tear rolling down his cheek. He patted his cheeks and wiped away the clear heartbreak upon his face. “Alright, Pyrrha,” he announced shakily as if speaking to the Scroll- as if speaking to someone precious, his lips wobbling in their determined grin. “Again.”

Clover’s voice died in his throat. How had he not realized it before? He turned to mention it to Qrow because why hadn’t anyone told him that Jaune Arc was clearly _still in love-_

But Qrow was gone.

For a moment, Clover frantically looked between the way they had come and Jaune. Should he go comfort the boy? Or should he chase Qrow?

His mind told him that speaking to Jaune was more practical. He was young, and even though he didn’t look like he was grieving, there were clearly still wounds there, bared open and jagged and sore for the Atlesian air to freeze and shatter.

And yet, despite his better judgement, his footsteps dragged him towards Qrow.

As he exited the forest, however, Qrow was nowhere to be seen.

The next day, Qrow arrived at the briefing as if nothing had happened, but a quick glance at his Aura gauge during their joint mission made it clear; although, realistically, one look at Qrow’s swollen eyelids and terrible dark circles would have given his regret and heartache away in an instant anyways. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any chance to speak with the man alone until the evening, once the rookies had left the mess hall and it was just Qrow and Clover left behind while the kitchen staff cleaned up the buffet trays at the far end of the room. “How are you feeling?” Clover asked, keeping his eyes locked onto the sunset outside the tall, floor-to-ceiling windows.

“…Terrible.”

“I want to go talk to him about it-”

“Better you than me.”

“-but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to interfere.”

That seemed to catch Qrow’s attention. “Wait, what?”

Clover sighed, finally looking at the elder who stared back at him, perplexed. “Well, he’s clearly got his own routine figured out. He’s lively enough during missions. Nora insists that they know about his training and they’re there for him, and if they need help or figure out that he needs someone, then you or I or someone else can step in.” He smiled, genuinely shocked at the fondness welling up within his own heart as he added, “…They’re really good kids. I’m surprised at how much they look out for one another.”

As the words left his lips, Clover realized with a start that he truly meant them. His team in Atlas Academy had never been that kind. The Ace Ops weren’t that kind. Ozpin may have been strange about picking team leaders, but clearly he knew how to make teams which Atlas could not mimic. Clover didn’t know whether that was a good or bad thing, though.

Qrow opened his mouth, clearly about to make a snarky retort on instinct, but he seemed to decide against it. “Don’t even try and tell me it wasn’t my fault,” he said bitterly, “’cause it ain’t gonna work.”

Something in Clover’s chest seized tightly at that tiny, vulnerable admission. “Don’t try me, you old crow,” he replied. “I’m sure, with my luck, I can convince of you it someday.”

“…can’t wait,” Qrow breathed. The smile that Qrow sent him was feeble, lopsided, clumsy. Clover engrained it into his mind anyways.


	10. penny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last kiddo in the flock! 
> 
> Also, if you're looking for a more "artsy" read (read: much more verbose and descriptive than my usual fare), I just finished [Perfect Storm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25461568) today, so go check that out if you're curious! It's a FairGame AU. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!
> 
> Let me know what you think!

**_penny_ **

It was by pure chance that James realized his own revolver needed a tune-up on a day when Dr. Pietro Polendina was working in his clinic in Mantle, but in light of all of his meetings and preparation for Amity’s continuation, he had no time to actually see to the upgrades himself. The general handed his weapon in its case over to Clover, only murmuring, “Please bring it back by this evening. It feels uncomfortable to not have it on me, but there isn’t any time to go down there myself; I’ve already sent Pietro the request.” His eyes were apologetic, for helping James would with personal errands had never been a part of his work in the Ace Ops, but Clover simply smiled and shook his head, insisting that he didn’t mind. He was due for a patrol of Mantle’s streets anyways, so it wouldn’t be an issue to pop into the clinic and come pick up the revolver before heading back to Atlas that evening.

Although he doesn’t say it, he also had a question to ask Dr. Polendina. It wasn’t the man’s specialty, but Clover preferred to bring up these questions off the books, and that certainly wouldn’t be possible with one of the licensed practitioners on campus thanks to their duty to report. His heart had been bothering him too much as of late to ignore it for any longer.

With revolver in hand and Kingfisher upon his own belt, Clover made his way to the airship bay and took the trip down to Mantle. Luckily, there were no incidents happening in the town itself upon first glance, meaning a straightforward trip to clinic. Clover did have to hold himself up a little taller when walking past all of the glowering faces who recognized his uniform, however; the Ace Ops’ reputation preceded their faces, after all, and just one look at the clover pin upon his lapel and his modified uniform was enough to tell the world that he was the leader of the elites in Atlas’ forces.

Dr. Polendina was always welcoming to visitors, the man’s jolly grin present even as Clover was opening the door. “Clover Ebi, now what can I do for you today?” the man boomed, his ruddy jowls shaking a bit with laughter, contrasting against his russet-brown skin. “It’s not every day that I get to see one of the Ace Ops outside of my Atlas office!”

Clover grinned cordially, holding up James’ revolver case. “The general was hoping you would have some time today to look at his weapon,” he explained. “Ideally, I would be able to bring it back by this evening.”

The doctor hummed and waved Clover over, opening up the case upon his worktable with delight. The older man was always excited to see weapons, Clover knew- even just by glancing over the weapons he had built for the rookies upon their arrival, it was clear that his love for research and development went far further than just the creation of P.E.N.N.Y., the sapient AI with an artificial Aura now acting as the protector of Mantle. It _did_ make Clover a little uncomfortable still to know that they were betting the failsafe for the people of Mantle on an android soldier with the emotional capacity of an overly-naïve teenager, though.

“Ah, I see what’s going on here,” the man finally announced after opening up the main barrel. “Got it. I’m sure I can fix it up based on what James usually likes.”

“He mentioned that he’s already sent you the general idea of what he was looking for,” Clover said, wandering the workshop. It had been quite a while since he had last entered the space, and it was just as pristine and inviting as ever.

Dr. Polendina quickly opened up a holoscreen upon his specialized, walking mobility chair’s armrest, reading the message in an instant. “Ah! Okay, that makes a lot more sense. Wonderful- I’ll get that done soon so you can take it back up to Atlas, how’s that?”

“That sounds great.” The doctor beamed at him and readied himself to putter around his workshop, but before he could get too immersed in his work, Clover added, “I also had a question of my own, if that’s alright.”

Dr. Polendina paused, frowning at Clover curiously. “Of course, why not?”

Quickly, Clover bit back his pride and murmured, “Well, I know you’re not exactly a medical doctor, but…” and he began describing his list of sympoms, including his spiked heartrate and breathlessness and flushed fevers. After everything was out in the open, he concluded, “It’s been bothering me a fair bit recently, but I’m not sure whether I actually need to go to the medical ward.”

There was a strange smile on Dr. Polendina’s face, a wry mix of surprise and amusement. “And you say,” he began carefully, “that these symptoms appear… when?”

Clover cleared his throat awkwardly. It had been bad enough to say it once, but… “Around a… colleague. The same one every time. As we often go on missions together, it’s of the utmost importance that this is resolved soon.”

“I’m sure,” the older man smiled, leaning back in his chair and regarding Clover thoughtfully. “If you’re experiencing this strange arrhythmia only with Qrow Branwen- I’m assuming it’s him, since my Penny tells me you’re always on missions together,” he added when Clover’s jaw fell agape, “-then I wouldn’t worry about it. You’re healthy as can be, young man.” There was a twinkle in his dark eyes, along with an indescribable fondness in his smile as the door chimed open behind Clover’s stupefied form. “Ah, would you look at that- Qrow! Did you find her?”

Clover froze, hearing Qrow’s unmistakeable voice sigh, “I did, Pietro. Sorry about that; my nieces got a little too carried away playing with her in an arcade.”

“I apologize, Father!” Penny’s bright, cheerful voice echoed. “But look at what I brought you!”

Clover spun on his heel to see Qrow walking into the workshop. His breath caught in his throat as Qrow’s eyes landed upon him, crimson brightening up visibly. “What brings you here, lucky charm?” Qrow teased, walking up to Clover and straightening out his lapel playfully.

Clover wanted to curl up and hide. How long had he been outside? Had he heard Clover discussing him with the doctor? “Just running an errand for James,” he replied as calmly as possible, turning his attention to the door as a distraction. “What are the kids doing?”

Qrow snorted, looking over his shoulder and crossing his arms. “Just you wait.”

Somehow, a giant teddy bear nearly the height of the workshop itself squeezed through the modest doorframe, all puffy, tan, plush fur and big, welcoming eyes, its torso nearly the size of Clover himself. “Um… what?”

To no one’s surprise, Ruby followed after with Yang. “We went to the arcade; it was so fun!” Ruby squealed, latching onto the teddy bear’s arm as Penny propped up the giant creature against an empty wall. “Oh, Penny won so many tickets!”

Yang bared her teeth in a wicked smile and added, “You should’ve seen the manager’s face, Qrow.”

Qrow shook his head, rolling his eyes in weary amusement. “Girls, this isn’t Vale, you know,” he mocked lightly. “You’re Huntresses now.”

“Yeah, and that means you can’t tell us how to spend our free time,” Ruby replied, sticking her tongue out at her uncle.

Qrow turned deadpan to look at Clover. “You wanna take these idiots and I’ll take the other?”

Clover merely blinked at him, absolutely baffled by the situation. However, he obeyed anyways, walking over to Ruby and Yang while Qrow went to Penny, guiding the girl with a hand on her shoulder to her father. “What do you say when you come back late?” Qrow said plainly.

Penny smiled sheepishly at the doctor. “I’m very sorry about not watching the time, Father,” she said. “I got so caught up with my friends.” Her face brightened instantly as she added, “I hope you like the gift I brought you!”

Exasperated, Qrow laughed, “Well, there’s that. You might wanna remind her in the future to stay away from that game center; the owner was not very happy with the kiddos cleaning house on the best prize available.”

Dr. Polendina laughed, petting Penny’s hair affectionately. “Well, darling, I’m very happy you thought of me. Thank you!” Glancing over at the behemoth of a plush toy, however, his smile wavered. “I’m not exactly sure I can keep something like this in here, though- it’ll get in the way of my chair.”

Penny slumped over, processing that information silently. While she pondered that, Clover turned to Ruby and Yang. Quietly, he whispered, “Did she want to bring him a gift?”

“It’s his birthday soon,” Yang replied. “We were showing her how to play pinball when she told us.”

Ruby nodded frantically. “When she asked how to give someone a gift, I mentioned that I liked teddy bears when I was little, so my dad used to get me those for my birthday,” she explained, a little bit of manic exhaustion in her eye. “She… kinda misunderstood what I meant by that example-“

“-and decided that the giant prize teddy bear in the arcade would be a good prize for anyone,” Yang finished for her, her smile twitching. “Like, it’s a cool prize and all-“

“Totally,” Ruby nodded. “I’d love to have that thing!”

“-but not exactly good for Dr. Polendina.”

Suddenly, Penny perked up, having come to a decision at last. “Well then, Father, would you mind if I give this to someone else?”

“Not at all, darling,” the doctor cooed. “I’m happy enough that you thought of me first and foremost.”

Penny’s smile was so wide, so innocent, so _human_ that it tugged at even Clover’s heartstrings. What drew an even bigger reaction from him, however, was seeing Qrow’s wry amusement melt into earnest affection as he watched Penny rush over to Ruby and Yang, grabbing onto Ruby’s hands brightly. “Well then, would you two be able to take it? I’m sure you would be able to fit it somewhere in your quarters.”

Immediately, Ruby and Yang traded wary looks. “I’m not sure Weiss or Blake would be okay with that,” Yang admitted slowly.

Watching Ruby try and figure out a way to both be practical and succumb to her clear desire to keep the bear, Clover said before thinking twice, “Why don’t you keep it in the lounge?”

The three young women turned to him instantly, eyes flashing in excitement. “Amazing!” “Great idea, Clover!” “That sounds _wonderful!”_

He backpedaled and looked over at Qrow, but the elder simply held up his hands innocently. _You did this to yourself,_ he mouthed with a wink, the action causing heat to overtake Clover’s cheeks. To make matters worse, he saw the amused gaze of the doctor lingering on him, too, as he glanced between Clover and Qrow.

Clover sighed. He was on his own. Already exhausted before his patrol could begin, he said, deadpan, “It’s your job to bring it into the school. On your own. I have a patrol to do.” After a moment, he looked over at Qrow, offering the elder a wry smile. “And I _do_ need a partner-“

“Done and done, have fun with this goliath without me, kiddos,” Qrow chimed in right away, eager to wipe his hands of the whole affair.

Clover snorted, then turned back to the girls. Penny had obediently trotted over to Dr. Polendina who was prepping her recharge dock, leaving Yang and Ruby staring slack-jawed at the herculean task they had created for themselves- bringing the giant teddy bear back into Atlas Academy with the unspoken stipulation of not getting caught by one of the professors.

Clover smiled. He had done wilder things when he was a student. They’d be fine.

Waving Qrow over to the door, Clover said to the doctor, “I’ll be back after my patrol?”

“And I’ll have James’ order ready to go!” Dr. Polendina said brightly, a knowing grin on his face. “Oh, and if you’d like, I’ll send you my diagnosis of your symptoms to your Scroll, since we’re no longer with much privacy here.”

Clover relaxed, grateful. “That would be great. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Once they had left the clinic, Qrow immediately accosted him about these symptoms, but Clover was able to play it off easily enough. The elder didn’t want to back down, but eventually they were able to complete their patrol with Qrow being none the wiser about the strange symptoms which had been plaguing Clover ever since the elder had come into his life. And, after retrieving the revolver from the doctor, the duo was halfway back to Atlas on a passenger ship when he finally received his results from Dr. Polendina. It took all of his efforts to maintain a neutral expression, to not allow his eyes to bug out, his voice to cry in shock and his entire body to flush a red so dark it could have matched Qrow’s eyes.

“You alright there, boy scout?” Qrow asked, laughter mixing with concern as he watched Clover’s odd reaction.

Stiffly, Clover nodded. “Yup. He’s just telling me there’s nothing to worry about after all,” he said as flatly as possible. It wasn’t exactly a lie, after all. Thankfully, Qrow bought it, leaving Clover the space to keep his eyes locked out of the window so that he could at least scream internally at the realizations the doctor’s diagnosis had brought upon him, emotions cascading through him like a typhoon, wrenching him from his roots and repainting his entire understanding of the situation in a new light.

When the airship landed, Clover didn’t move, too lost in his thoughts. Qrow held out a hand to help him up, which Clover took automatically; the moment he did, however, he immediately regretted it, letting go as if he held hot coals. Qrow gave him a confused pout, but merely murmured, “Well, I’ll see you tonight in the training centre,” before walking out the door, leaving Clover to wallow in his shock and in the heat emanating from his palm where he had touched Qrow.

_“You’re in love with Qrow Branwen, Clover. Congratulations.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the original summary of this chapter in my story outline as, “Penny – they go to see dr. polendina and he asks pietro about his arrhythmia and explains it only happens when qrow is around and pietro’s like honey oh sweet summer child oh light of my days you are in love” so that’s how this fic is going


	11. interlocking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this whole chapter with "I Won't Say I'm in Love" from Hercules in my head, so... that's the tone for this chapter, I guess.

**_interlocking_ **

Sleep would not come to Clover; not while Dr. Polendina’s assertion continued to bounce around in his mind, taunting him, bringing him back into wakefulness the moment he thought he could finally have some peace. All he wanted was to take a quick nap before training that evening, but it seemed that no matter how much he tried, he would only tire himself out further lost in his own thoughts like this.

Was he truly developing feelings for Qrow Branwen?

Clover didn’t know. He had been in relationships before, but the life of a Huntsman meant that he had never been able to stand by any one person’s side for too long before having to return to his duties. And, he knew that at the end of the day, he would always choose Atlas over love; defending his kingdom was what he was born and raised to do. The thought of having a lover, let alone one day settling down with a family, did not feel like it belonged to him.

 _Maybe I just admire him?_ he thought, rolling onto his side, letting the blankets slip down his chest and hang at his waist. He didn’t bother readjusting them, already feeling his cheeks heating up as he imagined Qrow in all his might; the elder’s deadly, graceful movements on the battlefield; his loving, sweet words to the rookies; his tender, affectionate moments with his nieces-

His kindness and genuine, earnest, open-hearted joy whenever he saw Clover.

Clover gulped, running his hands down his cheeks, feeling his entire body melting at the thought of Qrow’s coy smiles, his teasing winks. Qrow was just a colleague, a senior Huntsman who excelled in combat and in his mentorship of the rookies; he was merely an ally, someone with whom Clover enjoyed spending time, someone who would always give wonderful advice should Clover need it, someone who was far too attractive for Clover’s heart-

He groaned aloud, throwing his hands back against his pillows in frustration. He was fond of Qrow, for sure, but that was simply because there was no reason to _not_ like the man. He was jovial and lighthearted, his cynicism matched with a wit and humour that Clover found easier to interact with than even the other members of the Ace Ops. He felt _comfortable_ with Qrow, effortlessly so. And, he knew that Qrow was just as fond of him, although Clover wasn’t really sure why. His heart sank in his chest momentarily. _Maybe it’s because my Semblance cancels his? Maybe that’s why he doesn’t mind working with me- when I’m around he doesn’t have to worry as much about his nieces._

Still, that didn’t explain the fact that even outside of missions, Qrow was always happy to join him. Even after his trip down to Mantle that day, Qrow had checked up on him, making sure he was alright after his strange behaviour on the airship back. If Clover was just a co-worker, then there wouldn’t have been a need to check in, right?

There was no way to know what Qrow was thinking without asking him, and there was _no_ way that Clover was going to put himself through that particular brand of torture. “Maybe I’m looking at this wrong,” Clover mumbled to himself, finally giving up on sleep and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Heading to his closet to grab his training gear, he began to ramble, trying to put reason into the mess that was flooding his mind by giving it all a voice. “Is there anything to say that… that I _don’t…_ love him?”

In an instant, he was reduced to a stumbling mess, squatting upon the floor in front of his closet as he realized with shaking clarity that no, there _wasn’t_ anything that said he didn’t like Qrow. In fact, when Clover actually examined their interactions, Clover had spent far more time than necessary on helping both Qrow and his little flock of rookies. What were his motivations? Why bother? It wasn’t like James had given him the task of helping Qrow deal with the children’s heartbreak or frustrations or family issues, only having promised to help them train with the help of the other operatives. Clearly Clover cared enough to have unwittingly devoted so much of his time to the children and their guardian.

_…since when did helping Qrow take care of them become normal to me?_

That final question haunted him all the way through training that evening. As he dipped and dodged around Yang’s attacks, doing his best to act unpredictably so that she could get used to fast thinking, his mind still felt like it was locked upon the figure across the room dancing around Ruby’s attacks seamlessly. What did Qrow think of him? Why was Clover even there, practicing with the rookies almost at midnight?

When the session finally came to an end and the two sisters said their goodnights to the Huntsmen, waving and loping off with their quiet, teasing banter and little quips and excited, but weary laughter ringing through the air, Clover finally asked the question which had been haunting him all day. “Why are you so devoted to them?”

Qrow cast him a befuddled look. “I mean, they’re my nieces…?”

“No,” Clover sighed, shaking his head and stretching out his arms behind his back. “All of them. You can’t tell me that you don’t have a soft spot for all the rookies; you’re always watching their back. Mentorship is good and all, but why do you go so far for it?”

Clover was expecting some great answer, something as refined and powerful and precise as the man himself. Instead, he received a slight flush, an owlish pout, and a stuttering, clumsy laugh, sheepishness painted upon every pore. “I… I don’t really know,” was the quiet response.

_…what?_

Qrow holstered Harbinger and gestured for Clover to join him, tucking his hands into his pockets as he headed out of the training hall. “I only wanted to make sure Ruby was okay, at first,” he said, voice so soft it didn’t even echo in the large, domed ceilings of the hallway. “After the Fall, Yang was staying with her dad, y’know. She had to recover, and Tai would always protect her. But Ruby wanted to go find out the truth, and she gathered up some of the other kids and they set out. I was just going to follow them, to make sure they stayed safe.” His expression soured, eyes locked dead ahead. “It’s… Anima’s a dangerous place. Like hell I’d let my little girl into the wilderness like that.”

“…you love her a lot, but you know she’s a Huntress now, right?”

He received a lopsided, rueful grin for his comment. “Huntress or not, I changed her diapers. Saw her first steps. Heard her first words. She’s my niece. Always will be.”

Although Qrow was talking about Ruby, about the kids, Clover couldn’t help but flush, feeling his heart swell as he listened to the man’s weary, soft affection. How could he not? How could anyone ignore the amount of _love_ conveyed in every word he spoke? “So, you’re saying you didn’t want eight awkward children?”

“ _Brothers,_ no, I’d be a shit dad!”

 _You do more than you know, Qrow._ Clover didn’t voice that thought, however, merely saying, “That’s still a lot of dedication.”

The duo had reached where they would part; Qrow would go to the guest barracks, whereas Clover would ascend to his quarters in the officer’s wing. Clover took three steps up the staircase before realizing that the elder wasn’t following him, so he turned, finding that Qrow leaned against the wall, a wry smile on his face. “Those kids are lonely as all hell, you know,” Qrow admitted softly. “And they’ve still managed to help me more times than I’d like to admit. So… yeah. If I can help them, I will.”

There was something odd in the way Qrow said those words, as if those sentiments were new or foreign upon his tongue. Jokingly, Clover asked, “What, are you saying you wouldn’t have done that before Anima?”

“…yeah. I might not have. I didn’t exactly have the same goals a few months ago as I do now, but knowing what I do-“

“’Knowing’? Knowing what?”

Qrow froze, tone growing flustered. “It’s- it’s complicated. Don’t worry about it.” Before Clover could question him further, though, Qrow’s expression softened yet again. “I guess I got lost for a bit, you could say. Now, if I can make sure those kids are doing well, I mean…” And as he lifted his face up to look at Clover, the amount of pure affection in his face made Clover’s knees weak. “…then that’s worth it, right? That’s something. I’d just like to do _something_ for them.”

“It’s an admirable goal. I think you’re doing an amazing job.” The words left his mouth unbidden, the moment they entered the air leaving Clover flushed and mortified. And yet, he meant every word. Qrow was doing a phenomenal job of looking out for them, not only in his actions, but in how he respected their space, their needs, their ambitions.

Clover realized far too late that he actually felt fairly proud of helping them, too.

Thankfully, Qrow’s smile only widened. “You’re not too shabby yourself, Mr. Good-luck-charm. I appreciate the company.”

And with that, Qrow waved goodnight, walked easily down the corridor and turned the corner, leaving behind a man whose heart was racing and whose ears were beet-red and who was only able to make it back to his quarters by way of a miracle, since his knees were a little too jelly-like to actually carry him with any sense of grace or dignity; a man who was in way too deep for his own good, as he realized two things:

First off, he genuinely wanted to do what was best for those children, too. Somewhere along the way, Qrow’s devotion had passed onto Clover, and the thought of watching the rookies suffer the way they had in the past made his blood boil;

And two: somehow, despite all of his age and experience and collectedness when confronted with any and every other situation, Clover had no idea how to deal with the fact that he did, in fact, have a thing for Qrow Branwen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my new FG fic [May Fortune Guide Us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25539664)! It's a medieval fantasy shifter AU, featuring a depressed crow!Qrow and clumsy knight!Clover.


	12. double wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this probably would've been out earlier, but had to celebrate yet another graduation woot woot! done university... again... only to go back soon for yet another round... oof one day I shall be freed from my educational nightmare

**_double wings_ **

It took a few days to figure out a way to properly grapple with this realization, to fight the urge to curl up and hide in his quarters, but eventually, Clover was able to face the facts head-on; he genuinely did have feelings for the older, handsome Huntsman who had unwittingly become Clover’s partner-in-crime. Every time he saw Qrow, the heartrate that used to worry him so began to skyrocket, but now, all he could do was run his fingers through his hair and down his cheeks and groan at his foolishness. He thought that Qrow was one of the most attractive people he had ever met; how had he not realized his feelings sooner?!

But there were many things that Clover had apparently missed all this time, and the slow realizations were embarrassing enough to make him want to hide away eternally beneath his usual demeanor of calm, poised professionalism. The way that Qrow’s eyes sparkled whenever he looked at Clover; the way that Qrow’s hand on Clover’s shoulder always trailed down his back, lingering for a touch too long; the way that, with Clover around, Qrow’s smile always quirked a little further, his wit a little sharper, his laughs a little more robust and his cheeks a little brighter pink and-

 _I’m inventing reasons to think he’s attracted to me, too,_ Clover groaned silently as he walked towards the training room, mentally preparing himself for another night of fighting by Qrow’s side against his nieces. They had recently taken to buddying up to take on both of the young Huntresses, and so far, it had led to their most fruitful practices yet.

For the girls, at least. For Clover it was simply an exercise in trying not to trip over his own feet, ever the blushing, stumbling fool when it came to being around Qrow Branwen and that deadly scythe. If the Grimm weren’t involved, Clover’s normally attuned senses became all but useless when it came to Qrow.

Thankfully, their training session went off without a hitch. Everything seemed like it would pan out to be another ordinary evening until Ruby suddenly squealed, “Oh, Uncle Qrow! We got you something!”

Qrow paused, crossing his arms and eying the two girls suspiciously. “…Okay?”

She grinned gleefully at him, running over to the corner of the room where she had left a small backpack. Reaching into it, she removed a small bag and darted back to Qrow, holding the bag behind her back with an impish glint in her eye.

Clover leaned back against one of the pillars in the room, watching the whole thing with wary curiosity. Apparently that worry was shared, as Qrow immediately grumbled, “ _…Please_ don’t tell me you’re going to give me a frog or something-“

“It’s not a frog, Qrow,” Yang laughed heartily. “We’re not kids.”

Qrow watched her, deadpan. “Spiders?”

Clover blinked. _…what have they done to him in the past?_

When Ruby shuddered at the thought, Qrow tried, “…you didn’t kidnap a tiny dog from someone in Mantle, right?”

Ruby looked affronted. “I would never- Zwei’s the only pup for us, Uncle Qrow! How could you?”

Clover idly pulled out Kingfisher, waving toward Qrow. Luckily the two girls were focused on their uncle, giving Clover enough space to point at the bag, mouthing, “Do you want me to grab it?”

Qrow’s wicked grin was enough of an answer for him, so before the girls could react, Clover unfurled the fishing rod-like extension of his weapon and flicked the line over to the bag in Ruby’s hands, his expert manoeuvring of the hook allowing it to seamlessly catch onto the bag. With a quick tug, he was able to yank the package out of Ruby’s unsuspecting hands, startling both her and Yang when it flew backwards.

Qrow laughed at the girls’ affronted gasps, walking over to Clover with a skip in his step. “What’s in it, boy scout?” he asked.

Clover bit back his instinctive smile and opened up the bag, pulling out a small box. He shook it lightly, hearing a tiny jangle inside. “Sounds fun,” he smirked, handing it over to Qrow.

Qrow eyed his nieces doubtfully while taking the box, but his smile was present as ever as they pouted and griped. “Fine,” the elder Huntsman laughed, “let’s take a look.” With careful fingers, he slowly opened up the box. Clover felt his heart melt into a small puddle of goo as Qrow’s face lit up and he spun around to look at his nieces. “Kids, you didn’t have to-“

But before he could protest, two shorter bodies came over and tackled him lovingly. “Do you like it? Hm?” Ruby asked, clinging onto his arm.

Clover couldn’t hold back a snort as Qrow easily flexed and raised his arm, lifting the short young woman off the ground as she clutched onto his bicep. “It’ll do,” Qrow sneered teasingly, chuckling when Ruby pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. Still, Qrow set her back down and pulled out a small ring of silver and obsidian from the box, slipping it onto his smallest finger with a proud smile. Softer than usual, he added, “Seriously, though. You didn’t have to get me something.”

“You’ve gotta spend your first _real_ paycheque on family, right?” Yang grinned.

With that, Qrow ruffled their hair before the two girls headed out for the night, their chests puffed out proudly. Clover stepped over to Qrow, murmuring, “You’ve raised some good kids.”

He had to fight back the pure affection that rose up into every pore in his body as Qrow raised slightly-teary eyes, a brilliant, if tiny, smile on his lips. “Thanks; I tried,” he winked, his voice cracking slightly with emotion.

 _Brothers,_ pretending he wasn’t interested in Qrow was going to be harder than he originally thought.

To Clover’s surprise, however, it wasn’t just Ruby and Yang who brought Qrow gifts for their first paycheque as Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ren showed up one day with a black weapon maintenance kit, the edges and corners of the small box lined with silver polished to a mirror shine. Jaune gave him silvery-gold holder for his Scroll, and Weiss handed him a neat little coaster and glassware set that caught the light and sparkled brilliantly. “It’s for _water,_ ” Weiss emphasized, eliciting an eye roll from the Huntsman, leaving Clover confused. Blake brought Qrow a thin, elegant watch, the black leather band protecting an intricate, classy silver and black analog clock face. Oscar brought him another wristband, since his own was growing old and frayed; this new one had silvery clasps that glinted, reflecting in Qrow’s eyes brightly.

Clover watched all of these small acts of appreciation with mild amusement and utter bafflement. They were all of the same variety, but why?

“Any reason why you’re all getting the same kind of gift for Qrow?” Clover found himself asking after Nora handed the older Huntsman the most ridiculous present yet- a set of bright red and silver-embroidered socks that were lined with fire-Dust to keep him warm- once Qrow had left to put the random gift away in his quarters. They were alone in the briefing room, with just him, Nora and Penny there before the rest of the crowd clambered in. “Did you all buy him things together, or…?”

“How the hecky are they all the same?” Nora laughed, looking at him incredulously.

To his surprise, it was Penny who responded. “Oh! The only factor in common is that they are all reflective.” With a beaming grin, she turned to Clover and said, “Well, Clover, it makes sense that they have all given Qrow these gifts because he is a Qrow!”

Clover stared at her blankly. “Well… yes. He _is_ Qrow,” he said carefully. “And?”

“No, silly,” Nora snorted, waving off his words, “he’s a _Qrow!_ Don’t worry, I was like, _super_ confused at first too, but-“

“What the hell do you kids think you’re talking about?!” Qrow’s voice cried through the briefing room. He strode forward, annoyance and concern in his eyes. “Nora, why are you talking about that-“

Nora’s hands immediately flew up to her mouth, just as they always did whenever she had said too much. “Oop!”

Clover watched the elder scold her for ‘letting something slip’, but Clover genuinely didn’t know what she could be talking about. All she had done was make a pun, right? He had already called Qrow ‘an old crow’ numerous times before, so it wasn’t like there was anything behind those words, right?

He didn’t have much time to think on it, however, when Penny happily explained with all the confidence in the world, “Well, since Qrow can transform into a crow, it only makes sense that he would be attracted to more shiny objects-“

“You can _what?”_ Clover breathed, watching Qrow’s expression fall in absolute shock as those words left Penny’s mouth, the elder’s gaze immediately jumping to look at Clover, his mouth opening and closing and desperately trying to find any words to say to no avail.

Penny glanced up at Clover curiously. “Of course! Clover, did General Ironwood not tell you? That’s how Qrow can always get in between locations during missions so quickly!” With all the innocence bestowed upon her, the combat android added, “We should fly around together above Mantle sometime, Qrow! It would be wonderful.” And then, Penny skipped out of the briefing room after one final look at the assignments board, waving brightly to Ruby and the others who were finally making their way into the room for the morning gathering.

Qrow took one look at the assignments on the board, then glanced back to Clover. “I’ll see you at the docks,” he breathed before bustling out of the door like a lightning bolt, a deer in headlights.

Clover could only turn to Nora, gawping at her. She smiled awkwardly, shrugging. “He’s cute in birdy form?” she attempted to joke in a whisper before shuffling over to sit with Ren, the young man still half asleep as he settled in for the morning briefing.

_Qrow can transform into a bird?_

Well. _That_ wasn’t what he had expected.


	13. bright eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has officially become my most popular work on this site, and since we've still got a ways to go, here's my shameless plug: go check out my other RWBY works if you haven't already! I have nearly 900k words (as of right now) of RWBY content, including an entire canon-compliant series rewrite and multiple character studies, along with a ton of AU content, too :) plus a lot of Fair Game. I've written so much FG content in the past few months smh

**_bright eyes_ **

It was ironic, seeing Qrow so eager to get away from Clover once he arrived at the docks to begin their joint mission. It would be a supply run; there was no feasible way for Qrow to avoid Clover during the trip, for they were bringing nothing but automated Atlesian Knights for this run, for the others all had important missions of their own to deal with for the day. There would be no buffer to separate the two. Qrow clearly hadn’t thought through his flight from the briefing room; Clover could almost see the moment Qrow realized his fate for the day, his face crumbling in shock and discomfort.

A part of Clover wanted to protest against Qrow’s fears. He had not asked for the information Nora and Penny had accidentally given him, nor had there been any malice in the girls’ actions; Qrow couldn’t possibly blame anyone involved, could he?

He didn’t want to push the elder, though. It was the first time he had seen Qrow so perturbed in a while- the first time since he had seen the vulnerability in the elder after speaking to him about why he’d bothered to take all of the rookies under his wing like the pseudo-guardian he undeniably had become. Clover longed to ease some of that worry etched into the elder’s face.

Throughout their trip down to the dispatch at the edge of Mantle, Clover did not speak, simply nodding in greeting and taking a seat across from the elder Huntsman within each vessel. However, eventually that silence had to break as they slid into the front seat of the supply van, watching over their shoulders as the sergeant on duty guided the loading of their Dust shipments and the Atlesian automatons into the back of the van. Clover declined the offer to have a Knight drive for the journey; he needed something tactile do to in order to keep himself occupied amidst Qrow’s withdrawn silence.

The back doors closed with a thud, and Clover’s hands flexed their grip over the steering wheel, taking in a slow, weary breath before murmuring, “Would you prefer if I reassigned another member of the Ace Ops for this mission?”

Qrow’s eyes widened, the man shaking his head frantically. “No- shit, no, Clover, you… you don’t need to.”

“I wasn’t supposed to know, was I?”

The sigh that slipped past thin, bitten lips was almost heartbreaking. “I wasn’t exactly hiding it,” he muttered wearily. “I just…”

“Keep your hands close to the chest. It makes sense,” Clover said, pulling the truck past the military-only gates in the wall, waving at the guard with a wan smile on his face before letting it fall the moment they were clear of Mantle. “Especially with your luck.”

Qrow didn’t respond for a long time, lost in thought. Clover glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye, his own worry and anxiety rising as he saw just how exhausted the other man seemed; his fists were clenching the material of his slacks so tightly that his scarred knuckles practically shone white through his skin, and his jaw was shut so firmly that Clover ached merely seeing it.

“Talk to me, Qrow,” Clover hummed, driving the vehicle onto the main road that would take them to Amity. “You’re so quiet.”

Qrow was silent.

Clover sighed, the lack of their usual, friendly banter grating on his nerves instantly. It just felt _wrong_ to have Qrow’s spirits so low. _Why is he so upset?_

 _It’s not natural,_ he reasoned with himself. _It must be the Maiden’s magic, or maybe Ozpin gave him those powers. Maybe it was a curse from Salem?_ That last possibility sent a wave of nausea through Clover’s body, causing his control on the wheel to jerk for just a second; he quickly corrected it, clearing his throat and bringing his attention back to the bleak landscape ahead of the truck. The moment they were back in the clear, however, his mind went back to the oppressive atmosphere hovering around Qrow’s form. _He seems so upset._

That thought broke Clover’s heart. He didn’t know what about Clover finding out about Qrow’s odd secret was bringing Qrow down, but he didn’t want the elder to suffer. In the back of his mind, he momentarily allowed his imagination to visualize what it would be like to just hold the elder against him, to cradle him and plead for Qrow to talk- _brothers,_ having Qrow in his arms-

The truck veered again for just a moment, but this time, Clover couldn’t play it off, eyes wide and ears burning in embarrassment. He quickly looked out of the driver’s window, avoiding eye contact with Qrow as much as possible. _What the hell am I thinking?_

He knew what it was- his feelings for the elder made sense, after all, and after being so clueless about his own affection for the other Huntsman in the guise of a friendly, professional partnership, the proximity now, along with the _awareness,_ was enough to raise gooseflesh and _want_ in Clover instantly.

So, he decided to throw caution to the wind and just… move. His luck would carry him through, right?

Before he could think twice about it, Clover reached over and placed one of his gloved hands onto one of Qrow’s, still balled tightly into fists upon his lap. “Hey, you,” he coaxed, easing Qrow’s hand off his lap and onto the seat between them where Clover could hold onto the elder freely. “What’s wrong with me finding out? It’s not like I think of you any differently.”

Clover had to fight to not look at Qrow when he felt those red eyes boring surprised holes into the side of his face. Qrow finally murmured, “It’s… not exactly natural, you know that, right?”

“I’m assuming it was Ozpin. Am I wrong?”

“…yeah. It’s good for stealth and recon,” Qrow breathed. “I don’t share it usually- you were right, after all.” A derisive snort. “Bad luck charms gotta do the best they can to pull out _some_ surprises.”

 _Okay, that makes sense._ A quick look over to Qrow proved that he was still uncomfortable though, so Clover allowed the next glib words to slip off his tongue, not bothering to censor himself. He had absolutely no idea how ‘turning into a crow’ would even remotely work- his brain couldn’t even imagine it, as fixated upon the image of pulling over onto the tundra and pulling Qrow into his arms as he was- but it didn’t matter; all he wanted was to make the man cheer up again. “So, were the rookies right?”

“With what?”

Clover shot him a wink, squeezing Qrow’s hand gently. “Y’know. You like shiny things?” He faked a gasp, then let go of the steering wheel for a second to tap his clover pin, glittering green and silver in the sunlight of early morn. “Is that why you spend time with me, ‘cause of this?!”

The way Qrow’s expression shifted from confusion to disbelief to pure, unrestrained amazement as he processed the stupidity of Clover’s words was absolutely _breathtaking_ to the younger. And, as he threw his head back and laughed in that deep, throaty way of his, filling the supply truck with his low, warm voice, Clover knew he had made the right choice. That belief was only highlighted by the fact that Qrow held up his other hand, relaxing at last and showing off the small ring Ruby and Yang had bought him. “The kiddos know my taste,” Qrow replied with a wink of his own. “I trained them well.”

“So you _are_ just a bird. Are you like, a pet?”

“Hey, watch the road, punk.”

“Oh. Team mascot, it’s gotta be.”

“I will _end you,_ asshole. Don’t make me pull out Harbinger _._ ”

“As _if_ you want to find a new punching bag for Yang.”

“Tsk, touché, touché.”

Clover laughed, his own doubts melting away, that fantasy in the back of his mind growing stronger and stronger, filling him with wanton admiration and desire as he slowly realized that Qrow wasn’t pulling his hand away from Clover; for the rest of the trip to Amity, their hands remained connected, long fingers and cool touches fitting perfectly against Clover’s callused, glove hand, offering all the warmth and safety he had.

Qrow didn’t pull away. Clover wasn’t imagining things.

Later that day, while waiting for the Atlesian Knights to finish unloading the truck in Amity after an uneventful, but wondrous journey, a massive, powerful black corvid took to the skies behind the warehouse where the workers could not see it. Clover could only laugh in astonishment as Qrow’s body seamlessly transformed between his human and crow from, showing off his strength and grace. Clover would have thought it would be jarring to watch, sickening, almost; but seeing Qrow’s form change in the blink of an eye did nothing but draw him closer to the man, for Qrow trusted him enough to _show_ him.

The bird had the same beautiful eyes as Qrow: blood-red, shining with intelligence and wit and curiosity, burning with a fire that was enough to keep Clover warm even in the ice and snow of Solitas.

When Clover later bought Qrow a small gift- “It’s just ‘cause it’s Tuesday,” he said nonchalantly when handing it over, as if that explained _anything-_ with the help of Ren and Ruby, the mock-anger and true appreciation that filled Qrow’s face was enough to turn the warmth of his attraction towards Qrow into full-on desire. Qrow was happy to clip the tiny brooch, a silvery-black feather, onto a buttonhole upon his own lapel, where it blended in perfectly until he was touched by sunlight. Then, it shone, and Clover’s heart sang, for Qrow had _accepted it._

That night, Clover could only lie back on his pillow and laugh, for he was literally in love with a crow.

 _Well. Time to make sure Hare and Elm never find out about that particular skill._ Clover would never hear the end of it if they did- and yet, the thought of being able to share his feelings with the world made him feel more at peace than anything else ever could.


	14. clicking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to the end! Let me know what you think of it :)

**_clicking_ **

Time passed day by day, with Amity’s completion drawing ever-near and their ambitions of reinstating worldwide communication- and greater peace- feeling less like a far-off ideal and more like a tangible goal. Clover didn’t pay it near as much attention as he had thought he would; the objective which he had been working towards for the past year alongside James and Winter was finally within reach, and yet, his days were filled with nothing but the daily tasks of missions and briefings and reports.

And, of course, taking care of the rookies alongside Qrow.

He didn’t know when he began to truly engrain within himself the desire to protect the ragtag children as well, but over time, Clover found himself performing small acts of kindness he never would have done only months earlier; unlike before, his kindness was no longer performative for Qrow. It was an odd feeling, to recognize the changes within himself, and yet… he didn’t mind.

The first true indication of this was with Weiss. The girl was still greatly troubled by the presence of her father, it was clear; any time Jacques Schnee found his way into Atlas Academy under the guise of a visit to James, Clover would later see Weiss clinging to Winter, quietly venting her frustrations to her older sister. Every time it occurred, Clover felt his gut clench tightly, for even Winter’s expression was of pain and discomfort as the two young women supported each other through their shared trauma.

So, one early morning when he noticed that an SDC car was pulling into the guest parking lot of Atlas Academy, Clover turned his gaze away from the window of the briefing room and over to Weiss. “Actually,” he murmured, glancing over to Blake and Yang, “Yang, you’re going to switch places with Weiss for the day.”

Immediately, Yang opened her mouth to protest, but Blake laid a hand on her arm. “That’s fine,” the quiet Faunus girl murmured. “Go help Ruby with her patrol, and I’ll see you tonight.”

Yang glowered, but nodded, stretching her arms above her head. “I guess I won’t be stuck doing paperwork all day, at least.”

Weiss frowned, crossing her arms petulantly in her seat. “And why do _I_ have to be stuck in the archives again?! I did it last week!”

 _Because you won’t pass by your father on the way to the docks._ “And you did a good job,” Clover insisted, keeping his expression neutral. “We should capitalize on proper skillsets.” Raising a brow, he added wryly, “Unless you think that Yang is better suited for desk work?”

With a defeated sigh, Weiss stood and waved Blake over. “C’mon, let’s go sort out logs.”

“Sure. Want to grab some coffee to go?”

“Sure. Tea for you, right?” Weiss smiled, and when Blake nodded warmly, the two women headed out to their task for the day.

He grinned, sending everyone else off on their appropriate missions. There was no harm in doing a quick switch, after all, right?

Surprisingly, as he headed out of the Ace Ops’ office that evening after finishing up mission reports, he found a stoic Weiss waiting for him across the hall. The young woman’s eyes were upon him like a hawk, her dainty mouth twisted in a troubled pout, pale brows furrowed slightly. He paused, taking a moment to examine her conflicted expression for a moment before relaxing into a smile, murmuring, “Hey there. Anything the matter? What’s up?”

“Why did you switch me and Yang today?” Weiss asked, falling into step beside him as he gestured towards the exit of their administration wing. “Yang’s messy, but she gets everything done _fine._ ”

“Honestly? No reason. I just thought it might be good for Yang and Blake to work with other people for once.” It wasn’t a lie- it was for that reason he had chosen to switch Weiss with Yang in particular, rather than Ren, who had been assigned to aiding a professor in the academy that day and would have also definitely stayed clear of Jacques. Yang and Blake had become inseparable as of late, and it was always good to work with other people for once, so they were the better choice. _I’m one to talk, though,_ he thought wryly, _considering how I’m always with Qrow these days._

The thought of the elder warmed his heart a little.

Weiss was clearly unimpressed, clicking her tongue quietly. “I _doubt_ that was all it was.”

“Then what would it be instead, Weiss?” he asked, holding the door open for her as they exited the wing.

“…Winter told me that my father was at the docks this morning.” The words were wary, hesitant.

 _Dammit._ “I see.”

He turned to look at her, only to see her having paused inside the door that would lead her to the training rooms. To his surprise, however, there was a gentle smile on her face, a flushed, genuine affection in her eyes as she called out, “Thanks, Clover. I really appreciate it, but you don’t need to worry like that.”

“Who said I’m worrying?” he retorted calmly.

She rolled her eyes, but her grin only grew. “Whatever. I’m an adult, you know. You don’t need to coddle me.”

Clover shrugged, maintaining his innocence. “Okay, but-“

She waved goodbye to him before turning into the other hallway. “Thanks again, Clover!” She paused before walking out of view. “…y’know, I wouldn’t mind going back to some paperwork if he showed up uninvited again. Just saying.” And then, she left.

The high that filled his heart put a little spring in his step all the way back to his quarters. He had done well by Weiss. He had helped her. She was counting on him. There was a strange sense of satisfaction in knowing that he had indeed been able to bring a smile to the young woman’s face.

Perhaps it was that high that caused him to intervene the next evening in the mess hall after finishing his meal; he was ready to go return his tray and thank the kitchen staff, just as he did every day, when he overheard a loud passing comment from a student in the academy. “I just can’t believe they’re letting _dogs_ into the Ace Ops. It can’t be that elite, now can it?”

Instinctively, Clover’s eyes flashed over to Blake. The young Faunus woman was seated at a nearby table with the rest of the rookies; her face clouded with distrust and poorly-concealed heartbreak, her cat ears pressing flat against her head, as she took in what the young student said. The speaker had to have been her age, and clearly, the words had hit their mark.

Clover stood, gathering his tray in his hands and walking over to the group of young folk seated at the speaker’s table. “You want to run that by me again?” he rumbled, making sure he stood so his badge- and rank- were clear.

It was an unnecessary move; the moment the students saw his tall figure looming over them all, they paled, the speaker stuttering, “I didn’t mean anything by it, sir-“

“And that’s why you’ll tell me your name, cadet,” he replied smoothly, giving them no chance to take back their words. Clover knew peoples’ opinion of Marrow in the Ace Ops, and of Blake, for having been integrated into their missions so easily since her arrival. There was no way in hell he was going to allow mistreatment of his crew, Faunus or otherwise. So, Clover returned his tray to the staff then came back to the table, pulling out his Scroll impassively. As the students rattled off their names and Clover copied them down in order to report them for misconduct, he settled for checking on Blake over his shoulder. Ruby was passionately consoling Blake, leaning over the table to soothe her, but the young woman’s golden eyes betrayed no sense of calm, only bitter discomfort.

The moment he was finished with the cadets, dismissing them coldly after sending off the message to their commanding officer, he walked over to the rookies. Patting Blake on the shoulder, he said quietly, “We allow elite soldiers to aid us with our cause. No hatred will be tolerated amongst allies.”

The grateful smile she sent back caused satisfaction to glow within his heart, even more so when Ruby and Nora gave him a quick hug around the waist and Yang fist-bumped him. Although it was different from how Qrow did it, he was able to help the kids, too. There was pride to be had in that, a pride which he could never had expected to feel.

As he walked out of the mess hall, he couldn’t help but look up at the tall, vaulted ceilings above him. Since when had Atlas Academy been so _warm?_

He thought the streak would continue when he realized he needed to find Team JNPR a few days later. All he had needed was some information from Ren, but the young man was not picking up his Scroll, so Clover had decided to pay him a visit. The rookies were often in the lounge whenever they were on campus, so he made his way there with little hesitation; there was still time left before his usual training session with Ruby and Yang, after all, so there was no harm to checking if Ren was around.

What he found in the small communal lounge was anything but usual. He had not been there in over a week; the first thing that greeted him was the hulking form of a familiar teddy bear squished up against the back corner of the room. Strung across the stuffed toy’s neck was a string with multiple pink slips of paper clipped to it with clothespins; Clover had to stifle back a snort when he realized that those paper slips belong to inspections staff, likely asking the rookies to remove this ‘unauthorized’ doll from the common area. Clearly the kids were making a game of their documentation, and he couldn’t even blame them, for what would the consequences for their non-compliance be?

What was more baffling, however, was the hiccupping figure curled up in the lap of the giant teddy bear. Jaune was nestled into its arms, dressed in what could only be described as the most undignified onesie Clover had ever seen; baby blue pom-poms twitched every time he moved his feet, clashing against the bright, splotchy red upon his face.

Silently, Clover walked forward, pulling out a chair next to Nora, Ren and Oscar who all watched Jaune worriedly. “What exactly is going on?” he murmured.

Nora practically screamed as she bolted up and out of her chair, holding up her hands defensively. When she realized who it was, however, she relaxed, hunching over and taking a seat once against. “Oh thank goodness it’s you, Clover.”

“Who did you think it would be?” he asked, amused.

Ren wasn’t laughing, though. “Qrow.”

Clover frowned, waiting for someone to provide more context. Nora was the one who cracked first. “I swear, it wasn’t intentional!” she cried, panic flooding her pale face. “I thought it was just juice- it didn’t taste weird at all!”

To Clover’s silent question, Oscar reached down underneath the coffee table and pulled out an empty bottle. “Jaune… _may_ have drank this whole thing himself?” he said sheepishly, worry and embarrassment fighting for control in his expression.

Clover took the bottle and let out a mighty sigh. “And how did you get your hands on vodka soda?”

Ren shrugged. “It’s… it’s a long story.”

Clover didn’t even want to ask. It would have been easy enough to buy liquor from any store just by showing a Huntsman license, since Huntsmen and Huntresses usually graduated past the legal drinking age, so there was no point grilling them on that fact. “Do you have any more alcohol I should know about?”

“In the cupboard above the sink,” Ren said wearily.

Clover stood, ready to check up on what he said. However, something bothered him about the whole affair; he took a moment to simply examine their faces, ignoring Jaune for the moment to try and understand why the others were so upset. As a student, he had certainly snuck into bars and drank with his peers. Was it not something they did in Vale? What was this sense of guilt they all carried?

Why did they look _ashamed?_

As he made his way to the sink, quickly located the remaining liquor and setting it upon the counter to confiscate, he said lightly, “Y’know, it’s not exactly the end of the world if you sneak a drink. You know that, right? We wouldn’t want it to happen all the time, but there’s nothing wrong with alcohol.” He pulled out a glass and began grabbing some water for the intoxicated blond still cuddling the teddy bear affectionately. Then, Clover brought the water over to Jaune, helping the boy drink it carefully.

Behind him, Nora said, “We… we know it’s not _bad,_ Clover. It’s just…”

“Just?” he hummed.

“None of us are really comfortable with it,” Oscar supplied.

Rolling his eyes as Jaune managed to dribble the water over his chest like an infant, Clover called, “And why’s that?”

Ren was the one who answered his question, and his words left such a bitter, uneasy taste in Clover’s mouth that he had to fight to breathe after a moment, trying to digest the words.

“We don’t want Qrow to see alcohol. It’s… not good for him.”

_But… I’ve never seen Qrow drink before. Ever._

And suddenly, Clover didn’t feel as proud of himself anymore for taking care of the kids when all he could think was, _Wait a second- who’s been taking care of who all this time?_


	15. connection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does anyone know where to find himbos like Clover? he's just begun to morph into my ideal man over time and I'd like to order one clumsy supportive buff idiot plz and ty

**_connection_ **

Clover didn’t ask anything else of the children, simply giving Ren and Nora instructions on how to take care of Jaune and how to get rid of the remaining alcohol rather than hiding it in the lounge where everyone would have access. “He’s definitely going to be hungover tomorrow,” Clover explained, groaning as Oscar finally admitted that Jaune had indeed consumed two more cans of alcohol than previously disclosed, all on an empty stomach. Ruffling the young boy’s hair, he looked over them all. “No more browsing any unknown aisles in the store, understood?”

“Okay,” Nora mumbled glumly, pouting as she leaned on Ren’s shoulder, watching Jaune’s built frame curl up and nuzzle the gigantic teddy bear happily.

As Clover left the lounge, however, a quick check to his Scroll told him that he still had a good amount of time before their usual training session. It was a good thing, too; his heart was in too much disarray as he began to parse together the pieces that had disparately been floating in the background ever since the rookies had arrived in Atlas.

 _Qrow never comes to the officer’s mess- he never takes James up on his offers to grab drinks after work- he has never even drank on free nights, he’s always sober when we go to the training room. Even_ I’ve _had beers beforehand. Why is he so uncomfortable with alcohol?_ He asked that question to himself, but as his feet fell into their usual cadence, his heart found the answer easily. He drew in a deep breath, trying to still his concern, but his heart continued to pound against his ribcage, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t wipe away the concern that twisted his face with sorrow.

_He has a problem with alcohol, doesn’t he?_

The image of Qrow hunched over a bar, a Collins glass in hand and a pretty flush upon his cheeks, fit the elder far too well; remember Qrow’s former attire, that which he had worn when he had first arrived in Mantle, Clover felt himself heat up with what could only be called wanton desire as he realized that the picture of Qrow as the handsome stranger in a bar was _perfect._ Was Qrow actually an alcoholic?

 _It would explain why he always seems a little too restless- too tired- he’s always a little slow on the uptake, is he just distracted? Does he have to fight cravings? How has he dealt with it alone all this time?_ And then, he immediately felt shame course through him, for if Qrow was struggling with alcohol, why hadn’t Clover been supporting him this entire time?

 _I didn’t know- brothers, I don’t even know if it’s true in the first place._ He chewed his lip as he made a beeline for his usual rooftop, for the nook where he enjoyed reading. He hadn’t been there in so long, not since he had caught Qrow encouraging Weiss out there, but with how his mind was spinning and his skin was heating up, he felt like the chilly air would cool him down.

To his surprise, the very face that had been occupying his mind the entire way there was upon the rooftop, leaning forward with a feline grace that captivated Clover instantly; a strong back curved slightly, toned arms crossed and leaning against the icy metal railing, long legs tapping against the floor idly, puffs of hot breath steaming out of perfect, parted lips, breaking the pale, handsome silhouette illuminated by the moonlight to show nothing but somber resolution-

“Take a photo; it’ll last you longer, boy scout.”

Clover started upon hearing Qrow’s voice, but then relaxed, walking out of the shadows to join the elder. He leaned against the railing beside the man, taking a moment to simply bask in Qrow’s presence. Glancing to his left, he grinned, commenting softly, “Shouldn’t you dry your hair before coming outside? You’re going to get sick, Qrow.”

Qrow rolled his eyes, pushing back slightly-damp strands out of his eyes. “Don’t speak to your elders like that,” Qrow teased, keeping his eyes locked onto the moon. “It’s impolite.”

“Oh, forgive me,” Clover said before sucking in a breath, freezing in place as he realized just how strong Qrow’s cologne hung in the air; it wasn’t powerful at all, but with a quick glance, he could see that Qrow had just shaved, a clean, sharp jawline scented of aftershave so alluring that Clover had to tear his eyes away, holding his breath to calm himself down. He grimaced, angling his body away from Qrow in flushed embarrassment. Who had given Qrow the right to just _be_ like that, he’d never know.

To his surprise, Qrow was the one who broke the silence which followed. “What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You look like you’re worried about something.”

 _I’m worried about you._ “No, I’m fine,” Clover lied smoothly, pasting on his usual smile. “I just needed some fresh air.”

Qrow clicked his tongue, clearly not believing Clover’s words. He didn’t protest, however; and as a cold breeze blew over them, Qrow shivered, gooseflesh rising upon pale, exposed forearms. Clover longed to reach out, to warm him up, for he was accustomed to Atlesian nights, but he knew that Qrow would never be, and he wanted to ease Qrow’s discomfort.

Before he could suggest going inside, however, Qrow did something peculiar, yet familiar; he reached into his coat just as Clover had seen him do in the past, back before he had begun to help train Qrow’s nieces, hands clearly reaching for his inner pocket.

Then, he froze, eyes wide. He glanced over to Clover quickly before his hand withdrew, a child caught in a lie.

“What’s that?” Clover joked, pointing to Qrow’s stricken expression.

Qrow let out a clumsy, yet mildly fearful laugh. “Nothing- just an old habit.” Awkward, he patted his outer breast pocket over his lapel. “Don’t worry about it.”

And suddenly, it all made sense to Clover, and for the first time in years, Clover wanted to cry.

_Oh my god. The kids weren’t lying. What, did he used to have a pocket flask in there?_

Qrow tried to pull an easygoing smile on his face, but before he could stop himself, Clover asked, “Why’d you stop?”

“Stop what?”

“…drinking.”

Qrow froze, red eyes wide and more vulnerable than Clover had ever seen him. “How did you…?” he breathed after a moment.

“…How mad would you be if Team JNPR accidentally got Jaune drunk?”

Immediately, Qrow began to glower. “How the hell did they-“

“They didn’t mean to,” Clover interjected. Ruefully, he admitted, choosing his words carefully, “I mean… they didn’t know it was alcohol. Don’t be too hard on them. They really care, you know.”

“Care?”

Moving in closer to Qrow, he bumped his shoulder against the elder Huntsman. “About you. They… didn’t want you to see them like that.”

And, to his surprise, Qrow’s expression twisted into a look of naught but pure shame. “I… _fuck,_ ” he groaned, running his fingers through his hair, biting his lip as he took in this information. “Dammit, I’ve scarred them, haven’t I?”

 _What the hell happened on the way to Atlas?_ he couldn’t help but wonder. Immediately, Clover reached out, grabbing Qrow’s shoulders and spinning him around to face Clover. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said instinctively. “I don’t know what happened, but don’t be ashamed-“

Qrow pulled away from him. “No, Clover,” he sighed. “You don’t know what happened- _brothers,_ it was terrible, I hurt those kids so badly-“

“And they love you anyways,” Clover insisted. “And honestly? I didn’t even know you drank. I’ve never even thought about why you didn’t join us in the mess. It isn’t an easy thing to quit, but you’re doing an amazing job.” After a moment, he added, “You should be proud of yourself, you know. You not only brought the kids here. You’re teaching them to fight their demons. Don’t be ashamed; lesser men would’ve never been able to help them the way you have.”

Qrow’s eyes, impossibly wide and glassy, finally allowed a few tears to spill over and down his cheeks. Sniffling, Qrow began wiping them away, but Clover bit his lip, grabbing onto those hands, letting tears spill down Qrow’s cheeks. Quietly, he said, “I’m proud of you, Qrow. You’re-“ _perfect, amazing, brothers I can’t even begin to explain, it’s almost pathetic-_ “a fantastic Huntsman, and those kids are right to look up to you.” Then, he quietly reached out and pulled Qrow into his arms, his heart swelling as it battered against his ribcage while Qrow pressed his eyes into Clover’s collar, staining his uniform with tears that Clover would be proud to carry forever.

They were a little late to their usual training session, meeting an annoyed Yang and a worried Ruby at the door with sheepish smiles. After all, they had had much to work out: how Clover could help Qrow’s fleeting, but painful withdrawal and cravings; how to tell James that he was quitting so the general stopped pressuring him lightly to come join them for drinks; how to make the children understand that they shouldn’t be afraid of alcohol because of Qrow, and that Qrow would protect them always, even if that protection meant a little scolding for underage consumption. They discussed much upon the rooftop once Qrow’s short burst of tears had finally dried, all culminating with Qrow’s laugh, thick with emotion and affection, burying itself so deeply into Clover’s soul that he had almost melted, his hand squeezing Clover’s with such warmth and gratitude that Clover had had to fight himself to let go.

The kids were protecting Qrow in their own way, just as Qrow watched over them. Clover would protect them all, he swore it.


	16. corners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve finally figured out the rest of this fic, and it’s kinda wild to think it’ll end soon (unless if one of y’all come up with some WILD plot-thread to follow to extend it lol) since I don’t wanna belabour it for too long when it’s reaching a lovely little finale on its own.
> 
> This chapter is much more lighthearted than previous. Let me know what you think!

**_corners_ **

Clover could no longer deny the changes he had witnessed in Qrow Branwen over the past few days; the older Huntsman’s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing Clover, the man making a beeline for him every morning. Briefings now always commenced with a little smile, a flirtatious wink, a groggy-but-content, “Hey there, boy scout,” in a tone so warm that Clover could have melted. Now that Clover knew the great shadow that had been looming over Qrow’s heart, the man seemed to have become almost a new person, full of smiles so sweet he could scarcely handle it all.

Thankfully, no one noticed his daily routine of two minutes of flustered timidity followed by clumsy, but jovial banter before the elder finally took a seat- usually next to Marrow to get him to stop teasing Jaune, or next to Ruby to get her to sit down properly.

Well, no one noticed… _except_ for Nora; the young woman’s eyes honed in on Clover’s reddened ears in a heartbeat that Friday, the girl racing up to Clover the moment the briefing was done. She and Ren, along with Vine and Qrow, were coming on the supply run that day, as they would have an additional cart hitched to the back of the truck that called for more guards. “What was _that_ all about, Mr. Ebi? Hm? Getting’ awfully _close_ with a certain someone-” she asked, sidling up to him with a wicked glint in her eye.

He immediately reached out, flicked her on the forehead, and turned on his heel so she couldn’t see the panic in his eyes at being caught. “Time to go. Don’t dawdle on your missions,” he called out to the room, eliciting a chorus of affirmatives from the remaining Huntsmen and Huntresses preparing themselves for the day ahead. There was a buzzing in the air, as everyone was excited to finish up this final mission before a well-earned rest over the next two days.

As he spoke, however, Qrow was by his side, falling into step easily beside him. “What did Nora need?” he asked lightly.

“Just teasing about putting her with Ren,” he fibbed.

Qrow chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. “Ren thinks that no one really knows about their relationship,” he explained. “It’s kind of silly, really.”

“How in the world would anyone not figure it out?”

The elder shrugged as they turned the corner to enter the stairwell that would lead them down to the side exit, towards the docks. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Clover rolled his eyes, but he fought to keep his eyes locked straight ahead. How in the world had Nora spotted him? He wasn’t exactly announcing his feelings for the elder across the rooftops like she tended to do regarding Ren whenever the duo were put onto patrols together…

Thankfully, the mission went off without further incident; in order to buy Nora’s silence before she could even bother him, he placed her, Ren and Vine in the front seat of the truck, clapping Vine on the shoulder as a silent apology for the earful he was going to receive from Nora’s chattering over the course of a day. Vine was unfazed- he was used to working alongside Marrow and Harriet’s hotheaded personalities, after all. That left Qrow and Clover to chat amicably and play cards in the back of the truck, falling in their usual routine with no issues.

By the time they finally returned back to the Academy, night was falling. “No missions tomorrow!” Nora squealed, skipping up the stairs ahead of them all. “Ren, hurry up! We’re gonna be late, silly!”

“Where’re you kids going?” Qrow asked, loping up the stairs with Clover, a few steps behind the others. “It’s getting pretty late, y’know.”

Nora leapt to the top of the stairs and spun on her heel, planting her hands firmly upon her hips and announcing, “We’re going _dancing!”_

“Woo,” Ren called through a yawn in solidarity. He looked anything but ready to hit the town, magenta eyes barely managing to stay open after the long, dull day.

Clover shook his head wryly. “No more consumption of anything inappropriate, got it?”

Nora flushed pink while Ren’s eyes snapped open, the duo glancing over to Qrow; the elder Huntsman merely waggled a finger at them in response, muttering good-naturedly, “I swear, if I find out you kids have been corrupting Ruby, I’ll-“

The rookies’ faces immediately split into wide, grateful smiles. “Don’t worry,” the orange-haired girl murmured sincerely, looping her arm through Ren’s as he arrived at the top of the steps at last. “We’ll keep everyone safe.”

Qrow’s eyes creased in gentle happiness, and the two teenagers waved goodbye then fled down the hall to their barracks. Curiously enough, the moment Nora and Ren had turned the corner, Qrow’s smile fell to his lips, the man groaning as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Hey, Clover,” he called, “you know any good diners or anything in Mantle?”

“I know a few,” Clover replied hesitantly, pulling out his Scroll and sending Qrow a few names. “Why?”

Qrow sighed, all heavy-hearted weariness. “Well, we’ve gotta eat dinner sometime, and Yang’ll take a while to finish her hair if they’re going dancing.”

Clover paused in disbelief on the steps, watching the elder descend the staircase before finally jogging after him. “You’re not seriously going to follow them, are you? They’re old enough-”

“Yang can run around and drag all her friends everywhere in Vale if she wants,” he explained wearily. “There’s still technically a serial killer loose in Mantle, isn’t there?”

Clover winced; the attacks on anyone who antagonized James publicly were still ongoing, almost fading into the background after how long they had been plaguing the citizens of Mantle without any concrete leads to chase down. “You’ve got a point there.”

Suddenly, his Scroll pinged. A message from James requested his presence in James’ office, likely to go over end-of-week specs of Amity and the status of other ongoing works. Clover would need to bring up the Mantle murders, too- before he forgot, before he grew too focused on Qrow yet again. With a rueful smile, he said, “I can’t go help you watch over the rookies tonight- James called.”

Qrow rolled his eyes, the movements exaggerated and teasing. “Fine,” he scoffed, all mock-heartbreak, “I’ll go eat greasy food by myself.”

“Bring some back for me!” Clover laughed, turning back to climb the stairs once more.

Qrow waved his hand dismissively, but as he turned the corner to take the next flight of stairs down, Clover felt his face heat up at the sight of Qrow’s blissful, quiet grin.

Their conversation hung heavy upon him for the rest of the night, however; it was true that they hadn’t made heads or tails on the mysterious attacks for weeks now, since before the rookies had even arrived on Mantle. Was it really safe for them to be going down to Mantle alone?

The reasonable part of his mind said yes, they were all Huntsmen and Huntresses and had proved themselves time and time again to be far more capable than anyone gave them credit; the frantic, newly-burgeoning guardian side of his mind, however, screamed that he should’ve gone down with Qrow to make sure nothing happened. Just in case.

It certainly wasn’t because of the draw of the prospect of diner pancakes, though. That particular desire was easily fulfilled when Qrow came up to his room around two o’clock that morning, right after Clover had finally fallen asleep; after banging on the door loud enough to awaken a corpse, Qrow had handed him a takeout box of stone-cold, syrup-drenched pancakes with the most smug grin Clover had ever seen before waltzing away, completely nonplussed. In his fatigued state, Clover found himself munching away, then staying up until far later that morning than he would have liked from the sugar.

He didn’t tell that to Qrow, though. He quite liked the fact the elder had actually brought him back food, as ridiculous as it all was.

The worry for the rookies lingered on in his mind during his next visit down to Dr. Polendina, this time for upgrades on his own weapon. “Any updates on your little… cardiovascular situation?” the doctor teased lightly as he pulled on his magnifying spectacles to examine the trigger for Kingfisher’s hook.

Clover groaned, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. “Nothing’s going on, doctor-“

“Ah, so you realized your feelings, too.” When he saw the way Clover’s face twisted in embarrassment, he leaned back in his mobility chair, laughing heartily. “It’s a wonderful thing, you know. Cherish it.”

Despite his desire to hide in shame, Clover forced himself to stand upright and maintain what little semblance of calm that he could. He quickly nailed down the details of when to come back and retrieve his weapon, a small Atlesian gun upon his hip the substitute for Kingfisher while he waited during the afternoon; once that was done, he thanked the amused doctor and fled as gracefully as he could. It wasn’t as if he was trying to run, no- he just had things to do.

It wasn’t a lie, exactly. After all, at the end of the week when Yang announced cheerfully again that she and Blake were going dancing again in the seedy part of Mantle, he quietly handed her the mace he had acquired during that free afternoon a few days earlier. Yang gave him a look of disbelief, then bent over in laughter, murmuring wryly as she walked away, “As _if_ you haven’t let me kick your ass in the training room before, Clover- what’s the point of this?”, but the fact that she had the bottle itself eased his worries a little.

Unfortunately, the exchange was caught by the one person he wouldn’t want to have witnessed it; Qrow was biting his lips together to hold back the laughter threatening to burst out, his brows raised nearly to his hairline as he took it in. Clover sighed and shrugged- what could he say? “Not all of us have time to buy diner food and lurk in Mantle all night, okay? Mace is useful sometimes.”

The elder merely walked over and clapped Clover on the shoulder, the affection and appreciation in his face clear as day. “I’m not- I’m not laughing _at_ you,” he snickered, clearly fighting back his chuckles. “I’m just imagining Yang pulling out mace on someone. _Yang._ As if she wouldn’t have already punched anyone who tried to bother her to the moon and back.”

After a moment, Clover posited, “What about Ruby?”

Qrow froze, mulling it over. Then, he pulled out his Scroll, muttering aloud as he typed, “Give… the mace… to your sister.”

Clover rolled his eyes and laughed, bumping his shoulder against Qrow’s lightly. “Who’s overprotective now?”

Qrow sent him a mildly scathing look. “Look,” he said firmly, “Ruby is _seventeen._ Do you know how worried I am about her? Yang at least messed around too much as a kid so she knew how to handle others, but Ruby still takes cookies from strangers. The other day, I saw a student from Atlas hitting on her! She had no idea what to do! Someone’s gotta make sure she’s figuring this stuff out _safely._ ”

“What did you do?” Clover asked, tucking his hands into his pockets and stepping forward. He had to get to work on some reports before midnight, after all. 

Qrow fell in step with him easily, sighing with the dramatics of a stage actor. “I told the little punk that she’s a _Huntress_ and _Huntresses_ needed to do _Huntresses things_ while brat students could go-“

“ _Please_ don’t harass first years in the academy,” Clover nearly howled, shaking his head in disbelief. “That just looks bad. Is that how they train you all in Vale?” The elder flashed him a wicked grin, canines sharp, exposed. Clover clicked his tongue in fake disgust. “Ugh, savages, all of you.”

Shocked and amazed, Qrow slung his arm around his neck and squeezed, dragging Clover’s head down under his arm. “Say that again to my face, kid,” he demanded.

Clover easily pulled himself out of Qrow’s grip, dancing out of the way when Qrow pretended to lunge at him again. “Why bother when we all know it’s true?” he teased. “Unless you all domesticate crows over there in Sanus?”

Qrow’s jaw fell open further, but the light-hearted energy shining in his eyes made his face look years younger. It was such a far cry from the tears he had seen the elder shed the week before; and, combined with the fact that he knew that the cravings had been dying down, it made it clear that Qrow was finally feeling comfortable beside Clover.

Clover wanted to capture that moment in his heart forever.

Before he could forget, Clover added, “Besides, calling me ‘kid’? Really?” They had finally reached the Ace Ops’ office, so he pulled out his Scroll, scanned his ID and opened the door, pausing in the doorway. “I’m only a few years younger than you, you know.”

The elder held up his hands innocently. “Whatever you say, _boy scout,_ ” he replied easily, grinning at Clover’s pointed, deadpan look.

With that, the two parted, leaving Qrow to enjoy his evening watching over his nieces and Clover to finish his reports so he could enjoy a free day following. However, as Clover returned to his quarters late that night, he found a plastic bag hanging from the handle to his room; opening it up, he found another takeout box filled with cold pancakes and bacon.

This time, however, there was a singular box of apple juice on top of it. _For the ‘adult’,_ the messy scrawl on top of the box read.

Clover laughed so hard at the silly pettiness of it all that his stomach hurt; but the next morning, eating reheated pancakes and bacon in bed was a pretty lovely way to start his morning, courtesy of that grumpy old crow. _I prefer orange juice,_ he messaged Qrow, straw in his mouth.

 _Buy it your damn self, Mr. Adult,_ was the only response he received; and Clover finished his breakfast, smiling until his cheeks hurt, for this kind of easy, teasing, friendly familiarity and comfort and _ease_ is everything he had never known in Atlas, and now that he had it, it was all he could have ever wanted and more.


	17. locks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few chapters left!!! Wild to think about. Let me know what you think!

**_locks_ **

Being beside Qrow was like being beside a hearth; amidst the chill of Atlas, it felt comfortable, right. Having Qrow away from him frankly felt unnatural these days, and if Clover was being honest, he had realized long ago that he felt far more in-tune fighting alongside the elder than even with his own teammates. A part of him wondered whether he was somehow betraying their ideals, their team. Very quickly, however, Clover realized that it wasn’t about betrayal at all, for Qrow and the Ace Ops were ostensibly two very different entities. After all, the Ace Ops were just his colleagues and subordinates.

Qrow was… well, he didn’t really know what role Qrow filled. All he knew was that Qrow’s footsteps always managed to land in time with Clover’s, the rhythm of a heartbeat too quick to have belonged to Clover before Qrow’s arrival. Clover didn’t mind, though. Qrow kept Clover grounded amidst the hustle and bustle as the Amity project neared its peak, the elections for the Atlesian Council drew near; snarky laughter and teasing comments and warm smiles were enough to make Clover feel like the craziness of each day was easy to tackle, no matter what.

The rookies definitely helped. Somehow, Clover’s actions had secured him a proper place in the hearts of all of the children; all except for Jaune, that is. Everyone else seemed more than comfortable with Clover, as he had gone on numerous patrols and missions with them- and, of course, numerous rounds at their impromptu Scroll gaming tournaments, courtesy of invites from Qrow- but no matter how much time he spent near the young man, Clover never found the opportunity to speak properly to Jaune. While Clover didn’t mind that fact, it certainly felt a little odd to trade shrewd looks with Ren, light banter with Nora while avoiding her knowing gaze, and gentle words with Oscar, only to come up empty when it came to the clumsy blond.

He knew that Jaune’s heartache impacted Qrow. So, he wanted to help the blond; perhaps those intentions were selfish, true, but all Clover wanted was to see the elder smile. If he could ease some of Jaune’s worries and making him feel a little more confident during his stay in Mantle, then Clover could do that for Qrow, at least.

One morning when Marrow sent him paperwork requesting a sick leave due to a bad bout of food poisoning, Clover didn’t hesitate to turn to the blond. After all, Qrow was taking a day off already- James had insisted that everyone began using their vacation days, so all Clover knew was that the elder was in Mantle, getting in some early shopping for winter solstice gifts for his nieces and the other rookies- so it wasn’t as if he had his default partner-in-crime to ask for help.

“How recently have you gone on patrol, Jaune?” he asked pointedly, crossing his arms.

Jaune paled, a sheepish smile on his face as he immediately began examining his shoes contentedly. “It’s, uh… it’s been a while,” he admitted at last in defeat. Before Clover could comment, Jaune added, almost pleading, “I’m with the kids everyday though! The preschoolers need me!”

Clover raised a brow, trying to bite back his bark of laughter at the blond’s obvious attempt to continue working with the Mantle mothers rather than face the elements. Personally, Clover couldn’t understand why Jaune was so fond of that job; Clover had helped with the crossing guard duty Jaune had become so popular for only once in his career, and he had promptly refused to take it on ever again. Toddlers were not his forte.

Thankfully, just as Clover was going to retort and insist on Jaune’s duties for the day, a disheveled, frantic Weiss entered the room in a flurry of movement, grabbing coffee and sliding into an awaiting seat beside Ruby. “I’m _so sorry,”_ she cried, glancing between the clock showing her clear tardiness, Clover, and her teammates. “I got caught up in something-“

“Your teammates have already been assigned, Weiss,” Clover said smoothly. Her face soured, then she sighed, resigning herself to her fate as she saw the remaining patrol mission still highlighted upon the screen. Clover laughed, shaking his head and taking a sip of his coffee once again. “You did a patrol yesterday, correct?”

“Yes,” she replied glumly, pouting when Ruby leaned her head onto Weiss’ shoulder, a cheery, sweet grin on her face.

The Huntsman shrugged. “Alright. Jaune, you’re coming on patrol with me today.”

“What?!” the blond cried. “But what about-“

“Weiss,” Clover interjected, “You’re taking on Jaune’s mission.”

Immediately, Weiss recoiled; however, as Yang cried, “Oh, no fair, I wanna hang out with the babies!” Weiss’ face split into a broad grin, eyes glittering with excitement. “I get to spend time with the widdle babies?” she squealed, sticking her tongue out at Yang when the blonde moaned jealously.

Jaune stood up, scowling. “…Take care of them, Weiss,” he said somberly, all the weight of the world resting upon his shoulders.

Weiss snorted. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. After all, _you’ve_ been doing alright, right?”

The words were teasing and light, but Jaune still deflated slightly. “You never change, Ice Queen.”

“Hey!”

Before their silly exchange could continue further, Clover ended the briefing, beckoning for Jaune to follow him down to the docks whilst everyone split off for their respective missions. There was no point wasting time nor daylight, especially not with another supply run occurring that day with other members of the Ace Ops.

Jaune shifted uncomfortably the entire way down to Mantle, the boy gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword like a safety blanket. “You’ll be fine,” Clover found himself adding after he finished explaining what to look for. “You’re more than capable. Just stay focused- it’s not good to grow too complacent in any one mission, regardless of how suited for it you are.”

“I know,” Jaune replied. “It’s just…” He lifted forlorn blue eyes to look out into the bitter wintry chill, the horizon faded due to fog formed in the early morn. “It’s weird. Being on missions like this, I mean. I think it always will be.”

Clover tucked his hands into his pockets and strolled onwards, gesturing for Jaune to follow him. The younger quickly jogged to keep abreast with Clover as he attempted, “Is it… is it because of Pyrrha?”

Jaune paused mid-step, eyes wide, mouth agape. “How-“

“’Team JNPR’ was missing something since you arrived,” Clover mused, remembering Nora’s intensity, her fondness, as she spoke about her teammate. “Nora told me about her a while back.”

The blond let out a long, weary sigh, shoulders sagging. To Clover’s surprise, he quickly picked himself back up, a small, rueful smile upon his lips as he asked, “You really want to know?”

Clover grinned, tapping his clover pin. “Knock on wood, but it’s looking a little empty out here this morning. I’m happy to listen if you want to share.”

Jaune took a long moment to examine Clover’s expression, regarding him with a mix of surprise, curiosity, and genuine warmth. Finally, he began, “Pyrrha was… well… she was _everything._ ”

And then, Jaune began to speak. Clover allowed himself to sink into the silly world which Jaune spun with his words as, over the next few hours upon their patrol, Jaune told Clover about the mysterious redhead who had made such a deep impact upon these children- upon Qrow. He spoke of their partnership, of their classes, of study sessions and hangouts and fights and making up after. He spoke of Beacon in general, and of the pressures Pyrrha faced.

It sounded like every bit of life and fun that he imagined the rookies to have gone through in Beacon; it was the only way for them to have been able to bring so much joy to their little corner of the guest barracks in a world that was crumbling around them. Pyrrha sounded like their grounding force, their humble aspiration to admire and to welcome.

But then, the tone of Jaune’s voice changed and he began to hesitate. Clover didn’t push, merely pulling out Kingfisher as he spotted a group of Sabyrs approaching from the distance- during their battle, he only allowed himself to call out commands and to affirm Jaune’s strategies upon the battlefield, giving them an easy, clean victory- and giving Jaune a chance to collect himself. It was only when acrid smoke filled the air and they had found their stride once again upon the wall that Jaune began to speak again, his voice trembling.

And then, he told Clover about the Fall.

Clover had always known that the Fall had been terrible. He had seen the newsfeeds of the destruction before the CCTS crashed for good, had heard James and Winter’s takes on the massacre more times than he could count; but to hear of the frantic devastation, the horrifying sense of loss and fear and hopelessness that filled every word Jaune relayed, was a different matter entirely. James and Winter had faced the Fall of Beacon as fully-fledged Huntsmen. Jaune had faced it as a student who had lost everything.

Once Jaune got to speaking of the Maidens, his words died out. Clover glanced over only to find that the young man had begun to weep, pressing gloved fingers into his eyes in a feeble attempt to stop the tears which already overflowed and began to freeze upon his cheek. Quietly, Clover reached over to the young man, clasping his shoulder as squeezing warmly. “She sounds like she fought to do her best- to do what’s right. She’d be proud of you all, you know.”

He wept harder, and Clover stayed there, eyes locked onto the horizon while the young man’s choked sobs rang through the air. He didn’t know what it was like to love a team so much. Based on how Jaune wept, however, Clover knew- sometime during his stay in Beacon, Pyrrha had become to Jaune akin to what Qrow was to Clover. Or, perhaps not. There was no way of knowing for sure.

However, if Qrow fell…

Clover’s throat constricted at the mere thought of it. He wouldn’t allow Salem’s forces to bring Qrow down. He’d use every speck of luck he had in his body to see that promise through.

Before he could stop himself, he murmured, “Do… you blame anyone for her death?”

It was a little shocking how quickly Jaune replied. “Ozpin.”

The words were loaded, but with what, Clover didn’t exactly understand; he didn’t care to ask, however, as relief flooded his veins like a drug, filling him up from head to toe, for the answer he hadn’t known he was looking for had indeed not been the truth- Jaune didn’t believe it- Qrow wasn’t being blamed- Qrow didn’t need to suffer like that anymore. Clover wanted to tell him that- that the children didn’t blame him.

_Will he cry, too?_

The thought of it simultaneously broke Clover’s heart and warmed up his soul, for he knew that Qrow felt safe enough with him to let Clover stay by his side if he _did_ crumble. They were partners, after all.

Unsurprisingly, by the time they had completely their rounds and were back upon the airship, the blond’s vulnerability and weeping had left him mildly feverish and dizzy; combined with the exposure to the elements, and an unexpected snowstorm that had blown over and iced the area for a part of their shift, Jaune’s first patrol in weeks had left him greatly weakened. Clover helped him lean back against the wall of the ship, then sent messages to Nora and Ren, along with Qrow, explaining that Jaune wasn’t feeling well.

The moment they landed upon Atlas, Ren was helping Jaune out of the ship. Jaune quickly shook off the help, clearly embarrassed that his puffy eyelids and splotchy nose and garbling voice were on display for all of them to see. He waved goodbye awkwardly to Clover and the others before heading back to his quarters; Ren immediately sent him a list of instructions on how to warm up and what to eat before going to bed early that night.

Nora watched over it all like an anxious mother hen before strutting over to Clover the moment Jaune was out of view. “Just what did you _do to him?_ ” Nora cried, throwing her hands up in the air in disbelief.

Clover shrugged, nonplussed. “I asked him about Pyrrha. He spoke for nearly the entire patrol, you know- he had a lot to get off his chest.” Wryly, he smiled, ruffling Nora’s hair. “You all need it, huh? It’s okay, you know.”

For a moment, Nora and Ren simply stared at Clover silently, mouths slightly agape, unsure of how to proceed. It was Qrow who broke the silence, stepping in and adding teasingly, “You know he doesn’t bite, right?”

Before Clover could finish rolling his eyes and could quip, “Much,” back to the elder, orange hair and thin, toned arms launched upwards at him, wrapping him in a crushing hug. Clover staggered under the surprising weight of Nora clinging to him, the young woman’s embrace so tight that he almost struggled to breathe. Looking over at Ren, he saw the young man’s face melted into the most vibrant expression Clover had ever seen on his usually-stoic face; magenta eyes creased into tiny crescent moons, lips pressed together in barely-concealed joy, furrowed brow somehow radiating more gratitude than anything else.

Against his chest, Nora whispered, “Thanks, Clover.”

He let his eyes find red watching him- couldn’t tear them away as Nora and Ren said their goodbyes and promised to look after Jaune so that he didn’t fall too ill. He waved back, then approached the elder, asking, “Do you think it was okay for me to do that?”

They naturally fell back into step as they headed into the academy. Clover’s stomach growled, and Qrow laughed, immediately adjusting his course to lead to the mess hall. “I think you were right,” Qrow breathed. “The kid probably needed it. They’ve all been bottling it in for too long.”

 _So have you._ Once they arrived at the mess, they joined the line, grabbing trays and waiting for their food to be served by the staff. Idly, Clover reached out, brushing off some dust upon Qrow’s lapel, heart squeezing momentarily as he saw that his little feather pin was still clipped firmly into the buttonhole. “Do you think he’ll be more comfortable with me from now on?” he asked thoughtfully.

“I don’t see why not. I’m surprised you weren’t closer earlier, to be honest.”

“Why’s that?”

As the cooks handed Qrow his plate, the elder winked at Clover with all the teasing familiarity only a partner could have as he tilted his plate, dropping extra peas onto Clover’s mashed potatoes. “You two both eat like _children,_ ” he chuckled. “Here’s some more vegetables-“

“Oh lay off it, you eat pancakes a few times and-“

“You know you want me,” Qrow laughed, striding ahead airily to retrieve some water.

Beside the fruit buffet, Clover paused, watching Qrow thoughtfully. _I do,_ he thought, all longing and fondness, face heating up at the thought. He didn’t trust himself to say it, though.

But then again, maybe he didn’t need to. As they sat across one another in a booth in the corner of the dining area, and as Qrow began regaling him with the tales of his gift shopping blunders, Clover wondered whether there was even a point to saying anything, to verbalizing the feelings that filled his thoughts each time the elder was around. It was a small booth; Qrow’s knees brushed against his, but neither man made any moves to create distance between them. Qrow exuded warmth for Clover. After a long day of patrols, that was more than enough to erase the chill from his patrols- and as they spotted Jaune, Nora, Oscar and Ren coming into the mess to grab dinner, the blond waving at Clover and Qrow with a grateful smile upon his face when he spotted the two Huntsmen, Qrow reached out and grabbed one of Clover’s hands upon the table, a silent thank-you upon his lips, and Clover was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to read my version of Team JNPR's lives at Beacon, check out my [Laws of Attraction](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448071) series! It's a complete canon rewrite of V1-6, and does a deep-dive into Team JNPR. If you're an Arkos or Renora fan, you'll like it :D


	18. keys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the silliest chapter of all. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Also if you're looking for something else to follow that's not FG, check out my fic [All in Due Process](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25791634). It's a 100 Prompt Challenge (much like how I've done them for Mercury and Adam) exploring all of Ironwood's life, from birth till post v7 :)

**_keys_ **

All he had needed to do was tell Jaune and Ruby about their briefing the next morning as team leaders. That was it; there was nothing else he needed to do in the lounge. After all, Qrow had stated that he had some errands to run, which led to their training session with the girls being cancelled, giving Clover the first free evening he had had in weeks. He was looking forward to going to bed early for once.

“Penny, let me go!” Weiss cried as Clover stepped into the communal lounge. He frowned, raising a brow blankly at the crowd of children spilling off the couches and onto the floor surrounding the coffee table. Weiss’ face was red, thin rivulets of tears pouring down her cheeks as she sniffed back her sobs; however, there was no sadness in her face as she focused on pushing Penny’s face away from hers, the android’s arms around her shoulders in a clear attempt towards a hug. It was clearly unsuccessful as Weiss yelled out in protest yet again. “Let go- seriously, what-“

“What’s going on?” Clover asked, taking in the carnage skeptically. All of the rookies looked a little red in the face, with empty instant noodle bowls and bottles of water strewn everywhere there wasn’t a body; glancing at the table, all Clover could do was sigh and smile fondly, seeing the chopsticks still clutched in Weiss’ hand and the bowl of spicy noodles still sitting before her.

Ruby flashed him a rueful grin. “Apparently these noodles are made with fire-Dust traces, making them super spicy,” she giggled, shrugging. “We saw them on sale in Mantle today. Thought it would be fun to try.”

“But you’re crying, Weiss!” Penny insisted, all loving concern, completely oblivious to the pale girl’s need for space. “If someone’s crying, you have to hug them!”

Weiss finally managed to push the other girl away, placing the chopsticks back onto the edge of the bowl and chugging a water bottle handed to her by Ruby. Once the bottle was emptied, Weiss groaned, “And where the heck did you learn that, hm?”

Clover froze, a deer in headlights as Penny pointed towards him with the most innocent smile. “Clover always comforts Qrow like that, though. Isn’t that right?”

Although he knew his lips had become fixed into the most unnatural smile possible, he could not move his face out of it as his eyes quickly scoured the room. The rookies all looked up at Clover, a wide range of expressions following him: ranging from pure shock to gleeful joy, the rookies slowly tottered to their feet, approaching him in various states of disarray. Jaune limped, Ruby and Weiss clutched their stomachs, Nora and Yang gleefully strode forward. They were all fixated on surrounding him, though; soon, he had all of the rookies standing around him, watching him with curious, bright eyes.

 _Run, or stay?_ The answer was clear. However, just as his hand darted back, his mind resolving to simply send Ruby and Jaune messages on their Scrolls once he was safely away, Nora and Yang lunged out, wrapping their hands around his arms. He grimaced, immediately trying to pull away; unfortunately, both Nora and Yang were some of the strongest people he had ever met in his life, and with the other children blocking the door behind him, he quickly relented, succumbing to their wishes. “May I help you?” he asked as pleasantly as possible, praying that maybe if he pretending like everything was alright, they’d start to believe it, too.

No such luck, unfortunately; his Semblance seemed to be failing him as Nora grinned evilly up at him. “Well, you can’t just run away after Penny let _that_ one slip,” she snickered.

Yang said, “Tell us- you two are like, a thing, right?”

“Are you dating Uncle Qrow?” Ruby cried, a hand covering her mouth in clueless, wide-eyed shock.

Weiss immediately smacked her lightly on the shoulder. “Where in the world are your observational skills?” she hissed. Clover felt his heart lighten hopefully, only to have it wrenched away as Weiss added, “Of _course_ they’re dating. You’ve seen them, right? So cute.”

Nora tugged on his arm, dragging him back into the room singlehandedly. “You’re _totally_ together-together, right?” she squealed, pulling him along. Clover looked up at the boys in the room, hoping they could save him; unfortunately, Ren, Jaune and Oscar simply watched the entire debacle go on with shock painted across their faces, clearly unwilling to help until they heard the truth, too.

Before Clover could even respond, he was tossed bodily into the giant teddy bear seated in the corner of the room. He spluttered and pulled himself out of ten feet of pure fluff and stuffing, groaning as Yang pushed him back onto the bear so he was properly taking a seat. “You’ve got it wrong, you know,” he said, pushing his mussed hair out of his eyes. “We’re not together- I don’t know why you think-“

Suddenly, a brilliant white light was shining in his eyes. Clover squinted against it, blinking away light spots in his eyes as Oscar cried, “Okay, guys, is this _really_ necessary?”

Once Clover could see again, he could only gawp at the study lamp in Blake’s hand, the quiet woman shining the white fluorescent light into his face as Ruby cried, “State your case. Are you and my uncle,” and her voice dropped down to a flustered whispered, “like… dating?”

Clover sighed, giving up entirely and just sinking back against the teddy, crossing his arms against his chest. “You know,” he commented mildly, “this could be called assaulting an officer. Not exactly the lightest crime.”

Yang snickered, “We’ll plead not guilty. We’re simply defending our uncle, you know.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“That’s how it’s gonna work unless you ‘fess up, mister,” Nora cried, all brash bravado.

Clover raised a brow and looked over to her, blocking out the light with his hand for a moment only to let out a deep sigh as he saw Ren holding one of the unfinished bowls, noodles held up like a weapon in his chopsticks, ready to force-feed when ready. “This is absolutely ridiculous, you know that?” he said, deadpan, resting his elbows upon upright knees. “Like… you know that this is objectively silly.”

Blake brought the light closer to his face as Yang pointed a metal finger into his face. “Silly or not, you’ve got to tell us. Are you serious about Qrow?”

He sighed, feeling nine pairs of eyes watching him furtively. With a sigh, he reached out, grabbing the lamp and turning it off; Blake’s ears flattened against her head at her ruined ambiance, but he flashed her a weary, amused smile to calm her down before finally saying, “…no. I’m not dating him- we’re not ‘together’ or anything.” Their expressions quickly shifted to something only resembling _murder,_ so he added hastily, “-but I _am_ serious about him.”

Instantly, eight children erupted into raucous cheers and hooting and laughter, the rookies clutching onto one another and cooing and clasping their hands together in awe at his confession. Clover buried his face in his hand, just groaning at their pure, unadulterated excitement and at Penny’s confused question of, “What do you mean, ‘serious’? They are always serious on missions; they’re Huntsmen!”

“Penny, shh!” Ruby scolded lightly before turning back to Clover. Her expression was soft, but worry lines filled her pale forehead, fear creasing around her mouth. “I… If you are serious, then that’s okay, but… do you know about…”

When Clover frowned, glancing at the others for clarification, Nora reached over and wrapped her arms around Ruby’s shoulders, leaning her head on the younger girl’s shoulder. “You know,” she said quietly. “What happened earlier. What we mentioned before.” She stealthily reached out a hand and poked Jaune in the stomach, the blond turning absolutely green at the pressure. As he turned to vomit in the sink, weak after the spicy noodles, she sighed, adding, “When Jaune was ‘sick’?”

“Ah,” Clover murmured, nodding slowly. “His drinking? We’ve spoken about it, yeah; I’ve been helping him stay on track with things.” It was true, after all; after Qrow’s initial confession about his alcoholism, Clover had been happy to be on the sidelines, helping Qrow avoid alcohol and encouraging him whenever he reached yet another week sober. Clover didn’t mind doing it at all, since the way that Qrow smiled at him every time Clover encouraged him made the younger _melt._ With a gentle smile, Clover added, “He’s been doing great, you know. Clean for quite a while now.”

Weiss said quietly, “That might not always be the case, you know.”

Clover shrugged. “I’d just pick him back up again. That’s what partners do, right?”

To his surprise, rather than agree or ask any further questions, Yang simply dramatically collapsed onto Ruby while Nora fell onto Ren’s shoulders, the two young woman immediately groaning, “Oh my _god that’s so romantic-“_ “Holy _shit that’s so sweet-“_ “He’ll pick him up when he’s down!” “Brothers, they’re perfect!”

Before Clover could react, a tiny, orange-haired body flung itself into his arms, squeezing tightly before announcing, “I support it! They’re cute!”

“Kind of a waste though, isn’t it?” Yang said playfully, all mock-melancholy. “Clover’s not bad looking… ugh, he’s wasted on Qrow-“

Blake and Ruby simultaneously punched Yang on her shoulders, ignoring the blonde’s pout.

Surprisingly, it was Ren who spoke up, capturing everyone’s chaotic attention with his quiet comment. “I think you’re good for him,” he said simply. “He’s been far less depressed with you. Far more open, too. I don’t think I had ever seen him smile this much before he came here.”

Ruby nodded, but there was still a bit of longing, weary worry in her eyes as she murmured, “Yeah, it was pretty bad at times. You should’ve seen when he told us he could transform-“

“Ruby!” Weiss cried, staring at her angrily.

Nora waved off her concerns, completely nonchalant. “Oh, pft, don’t worry. I already blew that secret.” To Ruby and Yang’s glares, she held up her hands innocently. “Penny started it!”

“Didn’t everyone know Qrow could transform?” she asked, still a little lost.

Clover chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve seen his bird form, don’t worry.”

Jaune, who had just returned from the sink after upending the contents of his stomach pitifully, stared at him through teary eyes. “What? He let you see that?” he croaked.

Clover shrugged, leaning back into the soft teddy bear. “It was cute,” he admitted offhandedly.

The rookies immediately burst into adoring coos and flustered muttering as they took in that fact. Clover sighed, feeling the embarrassment in his heart wash away little by little; what did he have to be embarrassed about, after all? He was being honest with them. There was no shame in that.

If he were being honest to _himself_ , he felt a little proud to be talking to them about it. The fact that they weren’t pulling out their weapons showed that they approved of him, right?

Nora giggled, turning back to Clover, “Oh, you should’ve _seen_ when _we_ found out! It took me forever to figure out he was talking about being an actual bird, and not just making the world’s worst pun, though.” Putting on an angry, gruff voice- a clear, yet terrible impersonation of Qrow- she mumbled, “No, kids, you don’t understand… I can turn into a _bird…_ it’s so _sad-_ “

“No,” Yang laughed, “Qrow was pretty proud of it, remember? It was my _mom_ who was the worst!”

“Your mother?” Clover asked.

Yang shrugged. “Qrow’s sister. My mom got the same ability from Ozpin. When she told me about it though, she was so-“

“Rude,” Weiss interjected, pouting bitterly.

“-overdramatic,” Yang finished, pursing her lips and raising a judgemental brow at Weiss.

Completely unfazed, Weiss simply rolled her eyes. “She kidnapped me! I have the right to be annoyed still!”

Clover was baffled. What in the world were they all talking about?

Yang quickly turned back to everyone else, though, clearing her throat. In the deadest voice she could muster, she droned mockingly, “Yang, you don’t understand… we can turn into birds with no repercussions… our lives are _terrible._ ” Sticking her tongue out at Oscar’s barely-concealed laughter, she added in her normal voice, “At first I was all weird and angry at it, since no one should feel like they’ve been cursed with something… and then I realized that it was just, like, objectively fine? Like, what’s the issue?”

“Clearly Clover doesn’t mind,” Nora snickered, leaving half of the group cackling and half of the group red in the face, but this time not from the noodles.

With that, the rookies all laughed, finding seats on the carpet as they began regaling Clover and one another with their stories of Qrow and their misadventures on the way to Solitas. The Huntsman could only sigh and lean his cheek into his hands, watching the children chatter with a fondness he had never truly felt before bubbling up in him; since when had these kids all managed to weasel their way into his heart like that?

 _They’re alright with me. They think I’m enough for Qrow._ For some reason, knowing that they accepted him made all the difference. Watching them mess around, however, left him with only one thought: _What have I gotten myself into?_

It was fifteen minutes later that Qrow walked into the messy lounge, his Scroll in one hand and a bag of popcorn in the other. “Kids, that brawl game’s new patch is out. Ready to get destroyed yet aga- what’s going on?”

Clover looked up from his seat in the teddy bear’s lap, eyes finally tearing away from his bowl of instant noodles with a plea in his eyes, but Qrow was not fast enough to save him as Nora shoved a giant mouthful past Clover’s lips; the heat immediately swallowed him whole, the intensity almost making him knock the hot soup onto his white slacks as he frantically reached for a water bottle to wash out the pain. Thankfully, Ren obliged, handing him water to give even a modicum of relief from the burning.

“What the hell is going on?” Qrow cried, tucking his Scroll away and kneeling beside Clover’s coughing, red-faced form.

“We were gossiping about you,” Yang replied evilly.

“And torturing Clover,” Oscar added, all helpless innocence. Penny opened her mouth to add something as well, but Ruby was by her side in a flash of rose petals, covering her mouth and shaking her head before the former could speak.

Qrow watched as Clover moved aside the broth from the soup, grimacing as the spice burned him from the inside out; the moment the bowl was in the clear, the elder hip-checked Clover and took a seat beside the bear as well, leaning back into its plush torso. “Okay, I see the appeal of this thing now,” he murmured after a moment of getting comfortable. Winking teasingly at Clover’s flushed face, Qrow added to the rookies, “So, what about me? Talking about my skills? My good looks?”

“More like how you wore a skirt to landing practice ‘cause dad tricked you into thinking it was the uniform,” Yang blurted, gaining a howling round of laughter from the other kids. To Qrow, she added, “Dad and Port told me, so don’t even bother trying to hide it.”

Clover snorted, wiping away the water from his eyes as the pain slowly began to fade away. “Is that really true?”

For a moment, Qrow was utterly flabbergasted. Then, in the smoothest recovery Clover had ever seen, Qrow grinned and replied, “Well, yeah, it’s true. All the ladies said I had the nicest legs they’d ever seen on a man. Your old man was so jealous that it backfired on him- dunno what he was expecting, though.” Clover rolled his eyes, a movement which was immediately caught by Qrow. “Hey, what’s that look supposed to mean?” the elder cried, pretending to be horrified.

Clover shrugged, gazing back at him fondly. “I didn’t say anything!” With a coy smirk and a wink of his own, he added, “Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if the girls really _did_ say that.”

Qrow’s jaw fell open as Clover climbed to his feet, leaving the elder behind in favour of checking on Jaune who was hunched over the sink again. He could feel Qrow’s eyes on his back, though, and combined with the approval of the children, Clover’s night was officially made.


	19. missing piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE! CHAPTER! LEFT!
> 
> It would mean a lot if you let me know what you think <3

**_missing piece_ **

“Amity is almost finished,” Clover murmured.

Qrow looked up at him, owlish and confused, peering over his makeshift terminal set up on the other side of Clover’s desk in the Ace Ops’ office. “Yeah. That’s the plan, isn’t it?”

Rolling his eyes, Clover leaned across his desk, relishing silently in how Qrow immediately flushed with the proximity. “In light of that, did you hear about what’s going on tonight?”

Shaking his head, Qrow turned his eyes back to the task at hand, clearly uninterested. “No, can’t say I have,” he replied, voice gruff and weary as ever. “Are the kiddos doing something?”

“No, James wants us to be at a little party.” Clover reached out and placed a reassuring hand over top of Qrow’s at the elder’s surprised reaction, adding, “It’s no bigwigs, don’t worry; just Huntsmen and academy staff.”

Red eyes creased happily, Qrow’s shoulders relaxing in his seat. “Alright, that’s not too bad then. For a second I thought you were going to say the Schnees or someone was hosting something-“

“Why, and let you commit murder on Weiss’ behalf?”

“I’ll protect the kids however I want to, thanks.”

“You always have.”

For a second, doubt and shame flickered into Qrow’s eyes. Immediately, Clover reached out, covering the monitor Qrow was working on so that he had to focus upon the younger. “Don’t look like that,” Clover scolded, losing his teasing edge in place of earnestness. “…you know, I forgot to tell you this earlier, but… Jaune doesn’t blame you.”

“For what?”

“Pyrrha.” Before Qrow could reply, Clover rolled his eyes and turned back to his own report. “Once you’re done, let’s go meet everyone. We don’t need to clean up or anything, and they’ll have food.”

Qrow took a moment to process his words, running his hands over his face. Finally, he muttered, “Did you just… _ask_ him? Just like that?”

“Better to be straightforward than to do it like you,” Clover teased. “Always dancing around the question. I should’ve guessed you’re a bird from the start, you’re flighty as hell-“

He easily dodged the pen thrown his way, but Clover didn’t mind, seeing the breathtaking smile of pure relief spread across Qrow’s face while he took in the implications of Clover’s words; the elder hummed in agreement, easygoing as ever with Clover’s plans, a lilt in his voice as he finally put to rest whatever demons had been haunting the back of his mind regarding Team JNPR’s loss. Clover found himself pausing through the rest of his report, his eyes wandering up to settle upon the wobbly grin pulling Qrow’s lips, his own heart filling with a satisfaction he could not properly name.

By the time they were actually finished with all of their work for the day, the sun had finally set below the horizon and it was time to celebrate. Placing his hand upon the small of Qrow’s back lightly, Clover guided him out of their office. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Before Nora eats everything,” Qrow sighed, shaking his head ruefully. Clover had to bite back his victorious cheer when Qrow didn’t move away from his side, allowing Clover’s hand to rest more firmly against his back as they strolled towards the event.

As they neared the event location, however, Qrow’s amusement quickly began to grow into trepidation. “We passed the mess hall five minutes ago, boy scout,” he murmured nervously, glancing around. “Where are we going?”

“Do you not know where this hallway goes?”

“I know, and I want to know what the _fuck_ your problem is,” he hissed, hurt beginning to well up in his voice. “This isn’t funny.”

Clover sighed, pausing in his tracks. He had expected resistance well in advance, so he simply pulled up his practiced response, wearing the sweetest smile he could. “Qrow,” he said, placing a hand on the elder’s shoulder, “do you really think I would let you slip? Now, after all this time?”

Qrow’s lip wobbled, the man nervously grabbing onto his other arm, avoiding his gaze.

Clover grinned, grabbing Qrow’s chin and gently pulling it up to look at him. Meeting his eyes, he breathed, “I’ve got you. Just trust me.”

Distrust and fear flickered through anxious red eyes, but eventually, Qrow heaved a mighty sigh and gestured towards the end of the hall. “Alright, boy scout,” he glowered, “but you _better_ have a good reason for this shit. I told you to leave me out of it when things came up in the mess.”

Clover reached down, grabbing Qrow’s hand and giving it a tender squeeze, stroking the back of his hand with his thumb. “I won’t let you down,” he replied. He meant it, too; the moment James had told Clover about his plans, Clover had come up with plans of his own to make it all work. He knew he could pull it off. He just needed a little faith.

So, hand in hand, Clover pulled a reluctant, nervous Qrow into the doors of the officer’s mess- the one place Qrow had been avoiding ever since his arrival upon Solitas, the one place in the Academy open to adults only, serving snacks and alcohol after the closing of the mess hall every night for a discounted rate to Huntsmen. The scent of beer and fried food hit their noses; Qrow looked viscerally uncomfortable, but Clover tugged him along anyways, pulling him through the tables of Huntsmen, Huntresses and other staff quietly unwinding at the end of a long day until the duo reached the bar. Waving over the bartender, he asked, “Do you have everything?”

The young man winked at Clover and Qrow. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your orders ready. Just say the word.”

“Thanks, will do.” Turning towards the back of the large pub, he waved at James, who had spotted him from the corner. Team RWBY, JNPR, and the Ace Ops were already seated at a long table occupying the back of the room. Pulling Qrow along to join them, he called, “You saved seats for us?”

Elm patted the empty space in front her, crying, “ _Please_ take this one before the little Valkyrie girl asks for another arm-wrestling match!”

Clover took the offered space happily, squeezing Qrow’s arm as the elder sat down on Clover’s other side at the end of the table, the two of them ignoring Nora’s unholy squawks of frustration when she realized her seat had been taken during her trip to pick up snacks from the bar.

Out of the corner of his eye, Clover felt his breath catch as he saw Qrow glance over uncomfortably down the table; the children were sticking to water and food, but the adults all had cocktails and wine and beer in front of them, their poison of choice standing out against the colour of their white uniforms so clearly that even Clover could barely ignore them. He placed his hand on Qrow’s knee and murmured, “You’re fine. You’ve got this. No one’s going to expect you to drink.” Turning away from Qrow, he waved to the bartender, who slipped out from behind the empty counter to come over to their table, wiping his hands upon a cloth hanging from his apron pocket.

“And what would you like?” the young man asked, eyes twinkling.

Before Clover could speak, Qrow growled, “Nothing for me.”

Clover snorted, a rueful smile upon his lips as he turned to the bartender. “Options?”

“For you two?” With a knowing grin, he murmured, “Water, tea, coffee, soda. I’m sure I could find other things if you give me a few minutes.”

Without hesitation, he simply ordered two of Qrow’s favourite teas and put them on his tab, then turned back to watch Oscar and Blake’s silent battle on some Scroll game. He didn’t have much time to spectate, however, as Qrow nudged him, murmuring frantically, “Hey, last time I was here they didn’t actually have anything other than water and liquor, so why-“

“You’ve got to ask them, and they’ll stock up,” Clover said with a soft smile, quickly reaching up and brushing some errant locks out of Qrow’s confused, shocked eyes. “I came yesterday to ask them if they can keep a little bit of variety for you.”

Qrow’s mouth fell open as he processed this information, eyes locked onto Clover’s face even as the bartender brought them their tea- even as James made a passing comment as he carried over a fresh pitcher of beer about how he had never seen tea served before in the mess- even as drinks were refilled and the group finally sat down, ready for the little celebration to begin.

After a few silly arguments, Nora had finally given up on wrestling with Elm again and had found a seat. The moment she was sitting beside a chuckling Ren and Jaune, James stood at the opposite end of the table to Clover and Qrow, clearing his throat and commanding their attention.

“Work upon Amity is almost near its conclusion,” he announced, his dark eyes shining with pure pride as he looked over the group seated before him. “I cannot begin to thank you enough. The ability to reunite our world is one which I have been dreaming about for… well, since the beginning. I could not have done it without you.” To their surprise, the tall man’s stoic face froze, eyes misting over for a moment, the man losing his composure as people cheered and cooed and applauded his unspoken words.

_They were almost done._

“Cheers, everyone!” Ruby cried, standing up while James struggled to maintain face.

“Cheers!”

Winter walked in carrying a large sheet cake, placing it upon a nearby table. As she began cutting the cake and the rookies rushed over to take a bite, Clover felt a light pull upon his sleeve. Qrow leaned over, whispering into his ear, “What’s all this about? I could’ve just stayed home. Why’d you do this for me?”

Clover turned to whisper back, “I couldn’t celebrate this without you. If that means going sober until you’re ready-” and he lifted up his tea, clinking it against Qrow’s mug playfully, “-then I’ll do it any day.” With a wink, he added, “I like having my partner around, okay?”

As Qrow lowered his head, shielding his eyes from view with his hand as he drank his tea and tried to fight back the trembling in his shoulders, Clover merely placed a hand on Qrow’s back and raised his cup to clink his mug with the rookies as they flitted about the table with cake and smiles.

Eventually, Qrow loosened up, finally giving into Nora’s pestering demands for an arm-wrestling match; he played the arcade games with Yang in the corner of the mess for a while; his husky laughter carried across the room as he shoved Ruby and Oscar’s faces into their cake when he caught them trying to sneak a sip of Marrow’s cocktail. The end of the evening had him sitting with James, the two trading stories and reminiscing in the corner, the general only pausing to stop Qrow whenever he tried to playfully antagonize Winter, riling her up “like the good ol’ days”.

Clover watched it all from his seat beside Ren, the younger a little overwhelmed by it all after a long day of missions. He did not regret the tiny gestures he had made to make Qrow feel more welcomed; he would be happy to go much, much farther for the elder, if that would mean he would feel safe by Clover’s side, after all.

Suddenly, thin arms wrapped around his neck from behind. He had half a mind to flip the person daring to touch him like this, but he recognized the tiny hands, the puffed sleeves; his guess was right, as Ruby whispered, squeezing him into a clumsy hug, “Thank you, Clover.”

He paused, twisting in his seat to try and look at her. He didn’t get very far, however, as blonde hair fell into his periphery, Yang’s arms replacing Ruby’s as the elder sister gave him a tight hug as well. “Seriously, Clover. Thanks.”

“For what?” he asked, spinning around once they had released him.

However, it was not just Ruby and Yang looking at him. All of the rookies had taken the moment to pause, sending him grateful smiles from across the room. He blinked, immediately flustered, unsure of what to say.

The girls traded mischievous smiles as Qrow finally noticed them all talking, excusing himself from James and Winter in favour of joining them. Before he was within earshot, however, Ruby leaned close and whispered, “You pass.”

Absolutely baffled, Clover watched the two girls bound over towards their uncle, dragging him towards the pool table before he could reunite with Clover; it was probably a good thing they did, though, as the significance of their words struck the Huntsman a beat too late, leaving his ears burning hot with embarrassment. He slipped back into his seat, burying his face in his hands, trying to bite back the elated smile which threatened to consume him whole.

A tap on his shoulder startled him upright; it was simply Weiss, the young woman slipping into the seat next to him and holding out a fork. She slid over a piece of cake. “I want only half. Wanna share?”

He rolled his eyes, taking the fork and picking off the icing wryly, glad for the distraction. “Shouldn’t you be offering it to one of your teammates?”

“And let them consume more sugar? Ugh, I’d like to sleep _eventually,_ ” she groaned, but the smile remained on her face, as light-hearted as ever. “They’d be bouncing off the walls if I let them eat any more.”

So, Clover and Weiss ate peacefully, watching the amicable chaos around the officer’s mess with doting affection. There was a sense of peace in his heart which he could not quite name, but he didn’t really mind it. It was nice to have a reprieve, to know that he could laugh with all of his allies like this, despite everything crumbling around them.

Halfway through the slice, however, Weiss asked, “So whose name are you going to keep, hm, Clover? Branwen or Ebi?”

And that was when it truly hit him- Clover had made it, at least in the children’s eyes. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen- he would have to wait and see if he choked to death on a piece of cake out of sheer embarrassment first.


	20. perfect fit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally here! This is my longest Fair Game fic (thus far), and so I would LOVE to hear what you think of it now that it's all over. Cheers!

**_perfect fit_ **

There was an unspoken change after the celebration of the impending completion of Amity’s communications tower; a buzzing in the air, an energy that seemed to spread through everyone as they finally saw their goal in sight.

Clover did not pay it any mind. After all, his focus was dedicated to a different change in the air- the space between himself and Qrow.

After the celebration, Qrow had given up all pretenses of propriety, and Clover had been quick to do the same. No longer were their touches slight and hidden, tucked away from the prying eyes of their colleagues and the rookies; the mere thought of the morning briefing when he was able to place his arm around Qrow’s waist while they drank coffee, Qrow chatting nonchalantly to Ren whilst Clover spoke to Harriet about weapons upgrade schedules, was enough to make Clover blush still.

It just did not yet feel real, and yet, there they were. In everything but words, Qrow was reciprocating, and Clover found himself waking up each morning happier, _warmer,_ than he ever had before.

That day was no exception. Huddled together in the back of the supply van, the two men sat close, thighs touching, Clover’s arm around Qrow’s shoulders in the privacy of their boxy prison while Qrow held up his Scroll. Their earpieces played the audio so that the quartet in the front could not hear, although they doubted the girls would notice; Yang was working on getting a proper driver’s license, so she was at the wheel while Vine guided her, Ruby and Blake reading a novel together on the other side of the front bench. That left Clover and Qrow to sit in the back, pretending as if they were very alert and aware of what was happening.

Was it professional? Perhaps not. Did Clover care? Not particularly- despite having to hold it in so as to not alert those in the front seat, he had not laughed so intensely in what felt like _years._

“You did _not,_ ” Clover whispered incredulously, watching as Qrow flipped to the next video upon his Scroll.

The elder shot him a wicked grin. “Oh, _didn’t_ I, lucky charm?”

The video began to play, tinny static from the simple recording ringing in their ears as a tiny brunette toddler stumbled forward, gnawing on a chocolate chip cookie with more joy in her large, silver eyes than what could possibly be contained in such a tiny body. Then, the girl lowered the cookie, looking up at the camera. “ _Uncle Qwow_ ,” the little girl cooed, “ _cookie?_ ”

“ _Sure, kiddo- just_ -“ and the videographer snorted, clearly fighting back just as much laughter then as he was nearly fourteen years later by Clover’s side, “ _just say the thing I taught you, c’mon_.”

The girl swallowed her mouthful of chocolate, revealing crumb-covered lips. “ _Fuck!_ ” she announced happily, beaming at the camera.

Off-screen, a strangled yelp rang through the air. “ _Qrow, what are you teaching her?!”_ a male voice- it was the girls’ father Taiyang, Clover had learned through watching the other videos- screeched.

“ _Qrow, how could you! Ruby, don’t listen to your uncle-“_ a woman cried off-screen, breathless from laughter. It belonged to Summer, Ruby’s mother; Clover had seen her in a previous video, and the similarities between her visage and Ruby’s now was _striking._

Immediately, the video went dark, and all Clover could hear was shuffling and delighted giggles as a flustered, younger Qrow begged, “ _Alright Ruby, you nailed it, now never say that word again- please, please promise me, Tai’s mad, oh-“_

Qrow elbowed Clover, a bit of embarrassment mixed in with his fond, loving glee. “Shut up,” he hissed, “Tai was _angry._ Don’t laugh.”

“You dug your own grave,” Clover gasped, desperately trying to breathe. He could picture the young woman sitting in the front seat doing the exact same thing even as an adult, and it was enough to almost break him. “I cannot believe you did that.”

“Summer dared me to do it! And anyways, Ruby was so cute back then, how could I not-“

“Qrow, what are you _watching?!_ ” Ruby cried, snapping them both out of it. Clover dropped his arm from Qrow’s shoulder in favour of twisting in his spot, paling as a furious, appalled Ruby leaned over the back of the front seat, glaring at them. “Why are you showing Clover those-“

“Well,” Qrow quipped back immediately, “if _someone_ hadn’t gotten so excited and made a _mess_ in the warehouse that we had to wait an extra two hours for, we would’ve been back already without resorting to watching these. I’m bored, okay.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes, glowering at them both. “I’m erasing them. Just you wait.”

Clover almost protested- the videos were so cute, it would be a waste to lose them- but Qrow stepped in first, replying airily, “Bold of you to assume I don’t have multiple copies, all in different locations.” With a wicked grin, he added, “With different _people,_ too.”

“What’s the issue, Ruby?” Yang asked, eyes still on the road thanks to Vine’s oppressive vigilance.

“Qrow and Clover are watching home videos! Like, of _us!_ ”

Blake’s ears popped up over the seat. Golden eyes peered over the top as the quiet girl looked furtively at Qrow. “…how much for a copy?”

Qrow winked at her, causing Ruby to focus her attention onto scolding her teammate. The moment the kids were seated properly in the front seat, Qrow’s smile fell, however, a wry grin replacing it. Leaning over to Clover, he whispered, “I bluffed. Can I send them to you? I don’t have copies, and I refuse to lose them.”

Clover rolled his eyes, sighing heavily in mock-frustration, but he obliged the elder happily, mentally promising to make a copy for the elder on a separate disk later.

Once they had finally arrived back at Atlas and their paperwork was all finished up for the day, Clover found himself without company when he entered the training room for their usual session. He paused, checking the time; it was indeed the usual hour of their sparring matches. No one had sent him any messages saying they had to cancel it, leaving a tinge of unease in Clover’s heart. Where were Qrow and Ruby and Yang?

It didn’t take long to find them, as his feet immediately brought him to the rookies’ communal lounge, only to find a weaponless battle occurring in the middle of the room. Yang and Ruby were desperately trying to catch Qrow, the Huntsman all the while groaning and complaining about having to move too much, with the rest of the rookies eating popcorn idly around the edges of the main area and peeking out from the kitchen, watching the debacle with vague interest.

 _Are they still fighting over the videos?_ he thought incredulously. With the way Blake and Weiss were quietly distracted by one of their screens, cooing silently over whatever they were watching, however, it was clear that yes, the videos were still the main issue of the night. _I wonder if Ruby and Yang have noticed their teammates have them already…_

When the door clicked behind Clover, Qrow’s eyes fell upon him, lighting up. That brief moment of distraction was all Ruby needed to tackle her uncle; before she could grab the Scroll out of his hands, however, the elder tossed his Scroll into Clover’s hands.

Clover tucked it into his pocket immediately- he knew where his loyalties lay, after all- and began circling the edge of the room, watching Ruby with a tense smile on his face. “Are you really going to tackle the head of the Atlesian Ace Operatives?” he chided her lightly.

She was flushed and flustered, panting from the exertion of running around; that didn’t stop Ruby from standing tall and stomping her foot, boldly announcing, “Yes, you _have_ to give that back!”

“We’re asking nicely,” Yang said, eye twitching. “Otherwise, we _will_ take you down.”

Deadpan, Clover glanced over to Weiss and Blake, but the two women’s faces clearly read, “Leave us out of it,” so he could only sigh, preparing himself for the attack.

It didn’t take very long for Ruby to tire herself out. When he managed to dance out of her reach casually for the nth time, however, the entire room froze, tension so thick that Clover could have been breathing in molasses as the girl finally gave up and cried, “Uncle Clover, just _give it back_ -“

And she, too, stopped, realizing the words which had slipped from her lips unbidden.

Clover swallowed thickly, his senses suddenly so acute that he could hear everything- the way Jaune’s breast plate creaked as he shifted; the squeak of Weiss’ chair as she slid further back in her seat, turning off the video on her Scroll guiltily; the slight gasp from Nora, the bubbly girl covering her mouth in shock.

He took in a deep breath, then released it all. He had two options: first, he could address what she had said, allowing his joy and confusion and surprise and elation show upon his face- could turn to Qrow and beg him to see just how much Clover cared for his nieces- could pick Ruby up and ruffle her hair because this bubbly little Huntress had, in one breath, weaselled her way into his heart forever-

He went with the second option. Without batting an eye, he reached over, scooped her up, and tossed her straight into the giant teddy bear overseeing the conflict. Amidst her yelps, he said, “You’re a million years too early to win against _me,_ kiddo.”

Nora bolted upright from around the corner of the kitchen, dropping her bag of popcorn into Ren’s awaiting hands. “Oh, you’re _on,_ old man!” she growled, eyes flashing with fire.

Clover gulped, turning to Qrow. _It’s going to be a long night._

After effectively putting the children in their place (which meant that Clover goaded Nora to go run a training session in Clover and Qrow’s place that evening in exchange for getting a guaranteed overnight mission with Ren, with the singular promise that Oscar wouldn’t be traumatized by hearing of what happened during it) Clover finally was able to sink into one of the armchairs, leaning his head back against the cushion breathlessly. “Those kids are far too much,” he groaned, wincing as he heard Nora’s voice thundering down the hall as she hunted down her teammates, dragging them to the training room against their will.

Qrow stumbled over and sat on the arm of Clover’s seat, looking down at him wryly. He held out an expectant hand. With a flourish, Clover grinned, pulling out Qrow’s Scroll and setting it into Qrow’s hand. “Thank you, Mr. Operative,” Qrow said with a wink.

“Anything for a man like you,” Clover replied smoothly.

Qrow’s cheeks nearly matched his eyes as Clover reached over, brushing Qrow’s hair out of his eyes before running his hand down Qrow’s spine as he perched atop the armrest. The elder made no move to leave, simply sighing contentedly and closing his eyes, a peaceful smile upon his lips as Clover’s hand repeated that motion silently.

Finally, Qrow muttered in a voice far too thick to be normal, “Why didn’t you correct her?”

Clover’s hand paused for a moment as he looked at Qrow’s face, sucking in air slightly as he saw the way crimson eyes shone, glassy with unshed emotion. Then, he continued his ministrations. “What do you mean?”

“She called you ‘Uncle Clover’.”

“What, jealous I’ll steal your spot as the favourite uncle?”

Qrow snorted, some of his anxious energy dissipating. However, he quickly turned his face to look at Clover properly. “I asked you to be nice to the kids,” Qrow whispered. “I didn’t mean you needed to adopt them.”

The younger shrugged, a wave of heat and want crashing into him suddenly, blurring his eyes as he simply focused on the sensation of his fingertips tracing Qrow’s spine step by step. Once his hand had reached the small of Qrow’s back, he raised his face to the elder, laughing, “I… didn’t really have much choice. Not that I mind; I’m grateful to have them all now.” He sighed, almost wistful. “I never really wanted kids, but nieces and nephews aren’t the worst. I didn’t think I ever would enjoy having them around like this, but I don’t regret a thing.”

Qrow frowned, incredulous. “How in the world did you not have a choice? Isn’t delegation the name of the game around here?”

Clover swallowed, looking up at Qrow’s concerned face peering down at him, his weary exasperation overridden by genuine worry in the lines etched into his face, all of which Clover longed to smooth out; he felt a tad too fatigued for such careful movements, however, so he simply settled on dragging his hand back up Qrow’s spine yet again, only to rest his hand against the nape of his neck.

And then, before Qrow could react, Clover stood up slightly in his seat and kissed him.

What began with a moment of hesitation quickly turned into the easiest, most natural movement Clover had ever felt in his life. Qrow shifted his position as he relaxed, his lips moving against Clover’s with just as much gentle, tender passion as the younger; he slid off the armrest and pulled himself onto Clover’s thighs as Clover wrapped his arms around the elder’s waist, reaching up to twine fingers into Qrow’s hair, holding him in place while he scooted forward upon the armchair; and soon, Qrow was half-straddling Clover’s lap, fingers pulling his short hair while another hand ran down Clover’s chest, settling eventually for dragging back up and curling around the side of Clover’s neck.

Pulling away a hairsbreadth, Clover flicked his tongue across his lips, looking into red, half-lidded eyes with just as much wanton desire as he breathed, “Because you love the kids, and I- I love _you_.”

The way Qrow’s eyebrows drew up together in such _tenderness_ , the little laugh burbling past his lips choked with emotion and disbelief- it all made Clover want to melt, the younger tightening his grip around the other man as he replaced his lips upon Qrow’s, the passion in his heart slowly dying into warm, flickering embers in his gut, sending a blaze of heat through his body from head to toe.

He almost moaned as Qrow pulled back slightly, his tongue tracing across Clover’s lips. “Fuckin’ boy scout’s got moves,” Qrow rasped, absolutely amazed. “I should be careful, you really are after my throne.”

“Hm,” Clover whispered, closing the gap between them once more, “you fit on my lap pretty well, so we can share.”

Qrow’s lascivious grin only made Clover’s fingers dig in further, but Qrow was not complaining, the two men curled into one another, lips locked, for what felt simultaneously like one long breath and a thousand nights as Qrow whispered his reply into Clover’s mouth again and again.

It was only when the door creaked open and Ruby’s disgusted voice groaned, “Yang, we left them alone for too long, Qrow’s making out with Clover!” while the other girls screeched, “ _Where?!”_ that they pulled apart, lips bitten and swollen and red, their flushed cheeks and giddy laughter taking off years from their usual demeanors as Huntsmen. Clover didn’t care, though- as Qrow reluctantly climbed out of his arms and began scolding Ruby for the interruption, and as Nora immediately sprinted over with Yang on her heels to give Clover a high-five, he knew he had made the right choice.

The children who had crash-landed on Mantle were certainly a handful, one which he could have passed off to the other Huntsmen at any time. However, as Qrow grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room towards their barracks to the soundtrack of horrified groans and squealing wolf-whistles, the elder grumbling, “Took you long enough to make a move, you goddamned-virginal-lucky-piece-of-shit,” under his breath as they went, Clover could only thank the Brothers above for having given him the chance to stand by Qrow’s side. The Huntsman pulling him along had changed everything.

After all, to Clover, there were finally people in his life he’d do anything to protect, and the proud, pristine, prestigious halls of Atlas Academy were finally _warm._ Qrow and his little flock were _home_ , and Clover would do anything to watch over them, forever.

**_-fin-_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done! 
> 
> Here are my other FG works in V7 canon:  
> [a crow and his trinkets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24845935), [Control](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24873457), [Things We Said](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245074), [Cameo Lover](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844532), [Corvus](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25439404), [touch (scintillas)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778680), [burn the old away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875592), [shimmer and shine, strawberry blonde boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25326847), [The F Word](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24976354)
> 
> Here are my AU FG works:  
> [Save the Last Dance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430089), [Bite Me, Pretty Boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25217998), [Way Off Track](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604045), [Home to Roost](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785509), [Moonshine Smile](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24138832), [Perfect Storm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25461568), [Lying on the Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25902046), [May Fortune Guide Us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25539664), [i'll pray at your feet (as long as you let me)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25909846)
> 
>  _Other RWBY series:_  
>  If you want to see more of Qrow in canon, check out my [Qrow Branwen-Centric Fic series!](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448095)
> 
> Here are [AUs both set in canon and out](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1690948) for RWBY. 
> 
> If you want to stay completely within RWBY's canon, here is [another series of completely canon-compliant fics for you.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815229)
> 
> If you're looking for a long series in canon and like Team JNPR, here's a series that's a [rewrite of Vol. 1-6 through Pyrrha and Nora's eyes!](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448071)
> 
> Cheers for reading, y'all! See you in my other fics, and let me know what you thought of this fic!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments :D


End file.
